Significant magnitude 5.1 quake hits 115 km east of Nukalofa, Tonga in the afternoon
5.1 quake 1 Mar 5:38 pm (GMT +13)

Tonga was shaken near Nukalofa, Nuku'alofa, Tongatapu, by an earthquake of magnitude 5.1 only 27 minutes ago, the United States Geological Survey reported.
The quake hit at a shallow depth of 10 km beneath the epicenter near Nukalofa, Nuku'alofa, Tongatapu, Tonga, in the afternoon on Tuesday, March 1st, 2022, at 5:38 pm local time. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. 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.
Our monitoring service identified a second report from the citizen-seismograph network of RaspberryShake which listed the quake at magnitude 5.1 as well. A third agency, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), reported the same quake at magnitude 5.1.
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 ‘Ohonua (pop. 1,200) located 87 km from the epicenter, Kolonga (pop. 1,100) 101 km away, Lapaha (pop. 8,000) 105 km away, Nukalofa (pop. 22,400) 115 km away, Nuku‘alofa (pop. 22,400) 115 km away, and Haveluloto (pop. 3,400) 116 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: Mar 1, 2022 5:38 pm (GMT +13) local time (1 Mar 2022 04:38 GMT)
Magnitude: 5.1
Depth: 10.0 km
Epicenterlatitude / longitude: 21.32°S / 174.11°W (South Pacific Ocean, Tonga)
Primary data source: USGS
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquake/news/174113/Significant-magnitude-51-quake-hits-115-km-east-of-Nukalofa-Tonga-in-the-afternoon-.html