Shallow M6.0 earthquake hits Tonga region
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit the Tonga region at 13:07 UTC on July 29, 2024. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting M5.8 at a depth of 10 km.
The epicenter was located 74.1 km (46.1 miles) SSE of Pangai (population 1 738), and 154.3 km (95.9 miles) ENE of Nuku’alofa (population 22 400), Tonga.
66 000 people are estimated to have felt light shaking and 41 000 weak.
The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though some resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are unknown/miscellaneous types and wood construction.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
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