M 5.6 in Tonga on 22 Mar 2026 16:00 UTC

Event summary

This earthquake can have a low humanitarian impact based on the magnitude and the affected population and their vulnerability.

GDACS ID EQ 1530493
Earthquake Magnitude: 5.6M
Depth: 10 Km
Lat/Lon: -14.9649 , -173.0424
Event Date: 22 Mar 2026 16:00 UTC
22 Mar 2026 04:00 Local
Exposed Population: 230 thousand in MMI III
Inserted at: 22 Mar 2026 16:18 UTC
INFORM Coping capacity:
1.1 (Tonga)

GDACS Score

For more info on GDACS alert score click here.
  Earthquake
(Shakemap)		 GDACS score
NEIC 0 0
us6000siia Scaled population (raster) 0  
  C1 shakemap 0  
  C2 shakemap 0  
  Country Vulnerability 0  
  INFORM_normalised 0  
Maximum expected impact using different data sources.
Virtual OSOCC
Meteo assessment
Satellite products
Analytical products
Detailed event map. European Union, 2026. Map produced by EC-JRC.
The boundaries and the names shown on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the European Union.

Updates on volcanic activity (Smithsonian)

Latest media headlines

Tonga’s tsunami threat passes, locals warned of ‘abnormal tides’ after.. 3/25/2026 10:10:00 AM.

Tonga asks residents to ''remain at evacuation centres'' until given clearance to go home. Tonga''s National Disaster Risk Management Office have issued reminders to individuals and families evacuating to designated centres. 1) Bring a 72-H
...(more)
World Earthquake Report for Wednesday, 25 March 2026 3/25/2026 5:22:00 AM.

A powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck near the Pacific island nation of Tonga, triggering tsunami warning alerts and emergency sirens in the capital, Nuku''alofa. The United States Geological Survey noted that, "The March 23, 2026, M 7
...(more)
Magnitude 7.6 earthquake strikes near Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean.. 3/25/2026 12:50:00 AM.

A strong preliminary magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck near Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean yesterday, prompting coastal evacuations but no wider tsunami warnings. The United States Geological Survey said the quake struck early Tuesday eveni
...(more)
Magnitude 7.5 Earthquake Strikes Near Tonga in South Pacific Ocean, US.. 3/24/2026 10:41:00 PM.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand—A strong magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck near Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, prompting coastal evacuations but no wider tsunami warnings. The United States Geological Survey said the quake....

View more news

Estimated casualties (PAGER)

USGS estimates the number of casualties for each earthquake for the Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER) product.
The graph shows the current fatalities estimate.

Exposed population

Data, images, links, services and documents

For this events, GDACS has links to information from the following sources: EC-JRC (48), NEIC (4), OCHA (1), WMO (1), USGS (5), (2), INFORM (2),