Strong and shallow M6.6 earthquake hits Tonga
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.6 hit the Tonga Region at 20:05 UTC on October 2, 2024. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.6 hit the Tonga Region at 20:05 UTC on October 2, 2024, at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).
The epicenter was located 156 km (97 miles) ESE of Neiafu (population 4 320), and 322 km (200 miles) NE of Nuku’alofa (population 22 400), Tonga.
21 000 people are estimated to have felt light shaking.
Based on earthquake information and historic tsunami records, the earthquake is not expected to generate a tsunami, NWS PTWC said.
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
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M6.6 earthquake Tonga – USGS – October 2, 2024
2 M6.6 earthquake Tonga – EMSC – October 2, 2024
3 M6.6 earthquake Tonga – Tsunami Information Statement Number 1 – NWS/PTWC – October 2, 2024
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
Published in the last 24 hours
- In September 1859, a solar storm lit up the night sky so brightly that gold miners in the Rocky Mountains woke up after midnight and started cooking breakfast, convinced the aurora glowing over their camp was the sunrise Epicenter
- A patch of warm Pacific water that could become the strongest El Niño in more than 70 years sits thousands of miles from any American town, yet it is already the main reason NOAA expects a wetter winter across the South and a milder one across the North
- A 19-year-old Nebraska teacher reportedly tied her pupils together with twine and led them to safety through a blizzard in January 1888 Epicenter
- NASA built the Opportunity rover to last 90 days on Mars, and Martian winds helped keep it alive for nearly 15 years by blowing dust off its solar panels, until a planet-wide dust storm in 2018 blocked sunlight and silenced the rover Epicenter
