18 Aug 2026, 16:48 UTC · Aug 18, 12:48 PM ET

M4.5 earthquake 280 km WNW of Houma, Tonga

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 280 km WNW of Houma, Tonga at Aug 18, 12:48 PM ET, 408 km deep, light – felt by most people nearby, rattling windows, rarely damage.

under 33–44–55–66+

Magnitude	4.5 mb
Time	18 Aug 2026, 16:48 UTC
Location	-20.022°, -177.705° – 280 km WNW of Houma, Tonga
Depth	408.0 km
Felt reports	0
USGS event	us6000tn5y

Within 100 km

Other earthquakes nearby this year

Mag.	Where	When (ET)	Depth	Felt
5.0	Fiji region	Aug 31, 9:29 PM 46 d ago	536 km	–
4.9	265 km WNW of Houma, Tonga	Aug 27, 7:02 PM 50 d ago	519 km	–
4.9	282 km WNW of Houma, Tonga	Jun 1, 8:49 PM 137 d ago	545 km	–
4.9	Fiji region	Apr 9, 4:42 PM 190 d ago	531 km	–
4.8	Fiji region	Dec 29, 4:50 PM 291 d ago	600 km	–
4.7	265 km WNW of Houma, Tonga	Jun 10, 12:30 AM 129 d ago	568 km	–
4.7	289 km WNW of Houma, Tonga	Mar 31, 1:09 PM 199 d ago	548 km	–
4.7	259 km WNW of Houma, Tonga	Mar 9, 6:03 PM 221 d ago	552 km	–
4.7	243 km WNW of Houma, Tonga	Feb 23, 4:15 AM 235 d ago	378 km	–
4.7	293 km WNW of Houma, Tonga	Oct 25, 4:59 AM 356 d ago	530 km	–
4.6	260 km WNW of Houma, Tonga	Oct 11, 6:05 AM 5 d ago	513 km	–
4.6	268 km WNW of Houma, Tonga	Oct 10, 8:21 AM 6 d ago	560 km	–

FAQ

About this earthquake

How strong was the 280 km WNW of Houma, Tonga earthquake?

Magnitude 4.5 (mb), light – felt by most people nearby, rattling windows, rarely damage. Depth 408 km.

Was it felt?

No felt reports have been submitted to the USGS so far.

Were there aftershocks?

2 earthquakes within 100 km in the following two weeks are in our records, the strongest M5.0.

Earthquakes

Source: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) earthquake catalog, real-time feeds and FDSN event service; magnitudes and locations are revised by seismologists for hours after an event. Times are Eastern (ET) unless marked UTC. Not an alert service: for warnings follow local authorities and tsunami centers.