Significant magnitude 5.3 earthquake 46 km northeast of Pangai, Tonga
5.3 quake 23 Feb 8:32 pm (GMT +13)

A moderately shallow magnitude 5.3 earthquake was reported in the evening near Pangai, Ha‘apai, Tonga.
According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the quake hit on Friday, February 23rd, 2024, at 8:32 pm local time at a moderately shallow depth of 56 km. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
A second report was later issued by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), which listed it as a magnitude 5.3 earthquake as well.
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 Fangale'ounga (pop. 2,000) located 38 km from the epicenter, Pangai (pop. 1,700) 46 km away, and Neiafu (pop. 4,300) 90 km away.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become 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: Feb 23, 2024 08:32 pm (GMT +13) local time (23 Feb 2024 07:32 GMT)
Magnitude: 5.3
Depth: 56.0 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 19.42°S / 174.25°W (Tonga)
Primary data source: EMSC
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquake/news/234877/Significant-magnitude-53-earthquake-46-km-northeast-of-Pangai-Tonga.html