Strong and shallow M6.1 earthquake hits Tonga
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit Tonga at 17:34 UTC on April 19, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 36 km (22.4 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Epicenter of M6.1 earthquake in Tonga on April 19, 2026. Credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 94 km (59 miles) NNE of Hihifo (population 815), Tonga, 246 km (153 miles) SW of Apia (population 40 407), Samoa, and 327 km (203 miles) WSW of Pago Pago (population 11 500), American Samoa.
23 000 people are estimated to have felt light shaking and 189 000 weak.
There is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
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 vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are informal (metal, timber, GI etc.) and unknown/miscellaneous types construction.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M6.1 earthquake Tonga – USGS – April 19, 2026
2 M6.1 earthquake Tonga – EMSC – April 19, 2026
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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