Very strong magnitude 6.0 earthquake at 63 km depth8 Mar 09:34 UTC: First to report: USGS after 6 minutes.I didn't feel itI felt this quakeEarthquake detailsDate & timeMar 8, 2026 09:28:28 UTC - Local time at epicenterSunday, Mar 8, 2026, at 10:28 pm (Pacific/Tongatapu GMT +13)Statusunconfirmed (uncertain whether an earthquake with these data happened)Magnitude6.0Depth63 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude16.054°S / 173.691°WTongaSeismic antipode16.054°N / 6.309°ENigerShaking intensityV Moderate shaking near epicenterFelt0 reportsPrimary data sourceUSGS (United States Geological Survey)Nearest volcanoTafahi (23 km / 14 mi)Weather at epicenter at time of quakeLight Rain 28°C (82 F), humidity: 76%, wind: 5 m/s (10 kts) from NNWEstimated seismic energy released6.3 x 1013 joules (17.5 gigawatt hours, equivalent to 15080 tons of TNT or 0.9 atomic bombs!) | equivalent to ONE quake of magnitude 6.0 | about seismic energy7 minutes agoMar 8, 2026 09:28 GMT / Mar 8, 2026 10:28 pm (Tongatapu time)Lat / Lng: -16.054 / -173.691: 15 km SE of Hihifo, TongaSource: USGSDetail info | You felt it? - Report it!';storedMarkers.push(['quake-22785579',-16.05400,-173.69100,'7 minutes ago: Mag. 6.0, 15 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga',html,'quakes-8-24.png',35,35,17,17,127]); function mkRep(id,notFelt){var nFelt=notFelt||false;var src="https://www.volcanoesandearthquakes.com/app/earthquake-report.php?quakeId="+id;if(nFelt==true){src+="¬Felt=true";}window.open(src,"","status=0,toolbar=0,location=0,directories=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,scrollbars=1,height=400,width=350");} function locationHashChanged(e){-1!=e.oldURL.indexOf("#popupMap")&&closePopup()} window.onhashchange = locationHashChanged; function comment(e){var t=e.parentNode,a=(t.dataset.id,document.getElementById("commentForm"));"none"==a.style.display?(t.appendChild(a),a.style.display="block"):a.style.display="none"}function sendComment(e){var t=e.parentNode,a=t.parentNode.dataset.id,n=document.getElementById("commentContent"),p=n.value.trim();if(p){var o="id="+a+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId;o+="&comment="+decodeURIComponent(p),mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",o,function(e){e.responseText;alert("Thank you for submitting your comment!"),t.style.display="none",n.value=""})}}function flagReport(e){var t=e.parentNode.dataset.id;if(confirm("Report this as inappropriate?")){var a="id="+t+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId+"&flagAsInappropriate=1";mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",a,function(t){var a=t.responseText;alert(a),e.style.display="none"})}}function likeReport(e){var t="id="+e.parentNode.dataset.id+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId+"&like=1";mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",t,function(t){t.responseText;e.style.opacity=.5})}]]>[smaller] [bigger]Most recent quakes Top 20 past 24 hrs Quakes in TongaNearby placesThe closest larger town where the quake might have been felt is Hihifo, a town with 301 inhabitants in Tonga, in 15.8 km (10 mi) distance northwest of the epicenter. People likely experienced moderate shaking there. Several smaller towns and villages are located closer to the epicenter and might have experienced stronger shaking. In the capital of Niue, Alofi, 521 km (324 mi) away from the epicenter, the earthquake was probably felt as weak shaking.The following table shows some of the places that might have been affected (or not) by the shaking.DistancePlaceMax. shaking intensity(*)RegionCountry15 km (9 mi)NW of epicenterVaipoa(pop: 172)V: ModerateNiuasTonga16 km (10 mi)NW of epicenterHihifo(pop: 301)V: ModerateNiuasTonga282 km (175 mi)NE of epicenterTaga(pop: 680)III: WeakPalauli Samoa287 km (179 mi)NE of epicenterSagone(pop: 776)III: WeakSatupa'itea Samoa290 km (180 mi)NE of epicenterGataivai(pop: 1,140)III: WeakPalauli Samoa291 km (181 mi)S of epicenterNeiafu(pop: 3,830)III: WeakVava'uTonga304 km (189 mi)N of epicenterAsau(pop: 6,640)III: WeakVaisigano Samoa304 km (189 mi)NE of epicenterMulifanua(pop: 4,510)III: WeakAiga-i-le-Tai Samoa307 km (191 mi)NE of epicenterSi'umu(pop: 1,180)III: WeakTuamasaga Samoa309 km (192 mi)NE of epicenterSapapali'i(pop: 877)III: WeakFa'asaleleaga Samoa312 km (194 mi)NE of epicenterFasito`outa(pop: 2,100)III: WeakA'ana Samoa314 km (195 mi)NE of epicenterMatavai(pop: 1,310)III: WeakGagaifomauga Samoa321 km (199 mi)NE of epicenterSamalaeulu(pop: 789)III: WeakGaga'emauga Samoa321 km (199 mi)NE of epicenterSafotu(pop: 1,210)III: WeakGagaifomauga Samoa322 km (200 mi)NE of epicenterApia(pop: 40,400)III: WeakTuamasaga Samoa327 km (203 mi)NE of epicenterSolosolo(pop: 1,490)III: WeakAtua Samoa328 km (204 mi)NE of epicenterMaasina(pop: 160)III: Weak Samoa329 km (205 mi)NE of epicenterLalomanu(pop: 704)III: WeakAtua Samoa365 km (227 mi)NE of epicenterLeone(pop: 4,050)III: WeakWestern District American Samoa377 km (234 mi)NE of epicenterPago Pago(pop: 11,500)III: WeakEastern District American Samoa390 km (242 mi)NE of epicenterAlao(pop: 508)III: WeakEastern District American Samoa408 km (254 mi)NW of epicenterMata-Utu(pop: 1,200)III: WeakUvea Wallis & Futuna417 km (259 mi)S of epicenterFangale'ounga(pop: 2,020)III: WeakHa'apaiTonga479 km (298 mi)NE of epicenterOfu(pop: 254)III: WeakManu'a District American Samoa492 km (306 mi)NE of epicenterTa`u(pop: 873)III: WeakManu'a District American Samoa518 km (322 mi)W of epicenterLeava(pop: 480)III: WeakSigave Wallis & Futuna521 km (324 mi)SE of epicenterAlofi(pop: 624)III: Weak Niue522 km (324 mi)SE of epicenterMutalau(pop: 133)III: Weak Niue532 km (331 mi)SE of epicenterHakupu(pop: 221)III: Weak NiueNotes:(*) Shaking intensity according to the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) and estimated using seismic models.User-reports for this quakeThere are no user reports for this quake yet.If you felt it, be the first to report it!Get the Android appI didn't feel itI felt this quakeIf you were near the epicenter and felt it, please share your experience and submit a short "I felt it" report! Other users would love to hear about it!If you did NOT feel the quake although you were in the area, please report it as well! Your contribution is valuable to earthquake science and seismic hazard analysis.Compare Quake DataData for the same earthquake as reported by different agenciesThe more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.MagDepthTime GMT2026-03-8EpicenterAgency6.063 km39 mi09:28:2815 km SE of Hihifo, TongaUSGS (United States Geological Survey)Aftershocks for this quakeNo aftershocks have been recorded so far. When aftershocks are detected, we will update this section.What are aftershocks?Larger earthquakes (above magnitude 5 or so) such as this one are usually followed by smaller ones known as aftershocks that occur in the same area during the days, weeks, months or even years after the main shock.[More info]What about this quake?Based on its magnitude, the fault that was active during the quake likely ruptured beneath a surface area of approximately 100 km2 (39 square miles) as a first-order estimate. The length of the rupture zone thus was probably around 17 km (11 mi).[More info]Recorded aftershocks, latest first (0 quake)Mar 8, 2026 10:28 pm (Tongatapu)7 minutes ago6.063 km0 km - This quakeSouth Pacific Ocean, 16 km SE of Hihifo, Niuas, TongaMain Shock (this quake)MoreMap of aftershocksEarthquake statisticsAverage number of earthquakesBased on data from the past 26 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900, there are about 58 quakes on average per year in the area near the epicenter of this quake (within 100 km/61 mi):Mag. 7 or higher: 0.02 quakes per year (or 1 quake every 62.5 years)Mag. 6 or higher: 0.64 quakes per year (or 1 quake every 1.6 years)Mag. 5 or higher: 13.5 quakes per yearMag. 4 or higher: 64 quakes per year (or 5.3 quakes per month)Mag. 3 or higher: 118 quakes per year (or 9.8 quakes per month)Mag. 2 or higher: 118 quakes per year (or 9.8 quakes per month)The area where this quake occurred has a very high level of seismic activity. It has had at least 2 quakes above magnitude 7 since 1900, which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently, probably on average approximately every 60 to 65 years.Number of quakes per yearPrevious quakes in the same area of this earthquake