A magnitude 5.2 earthquake near Hihifo, Niuas, Tonga, was reported only 14 minutes ago by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), considered one of the key international agencies monitoring seismic activity worldwide. The earthquake occurred at a moderately shallow depth of 35. km beneath the epicenter in the early evening on Sunday, September 20th, 2026, at 6:07 pm local time. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review the data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their reports.Our monitoring service identified a second report from the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), which also listed the quake at magnitude 5.2.Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter. Weak shaking might have been felt in Hihifo (pop. 300), located 109 km from the epicenter.VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update the magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake becomes available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.Earthquake data: Date & time: Sep 20, 2026 06:07 pm (GMT +13) local time (20 Sep 2026 05:07 GMT)Magnitude: 5.2Hypocenter depth: 35.00 kmEpicenter coordinates: 15.99°S / 174.81°W (Tonga)Primary data source: EMSC