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M4.8 Earthquake near Houma, Tonga — 01 September 2026

A light earthquake of magnitude 4.8 was recorded near Houma, Tonga on , with an epicentre 292 km west-northwest of Houma, at a focal depth of 533.0 km. It ranked as the 7th strongest of 18 earthquakes recorded in Tonga in the preceding 30 days.

4.8 Light

Time (UTC): 2026-09-01 01:29:10

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 4.8 (light)

Focal depth: 533.0 km (deep)

Epicentre: -20.4066, -177.9940

Location: 292 km WNW of Houma, Tonga

Country: Tonga

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Reviewed

Source: USGS event page

How strong was this earthquake?

Light earthquakes are widely felt near the epicentre and can rattle windows, dishes and hanging objects. Damage is uncommon and usually limited to cracked plaster or fallen loose items.

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake radiates roughly 239 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 354, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.

What the magnitude scale actually measures →

When it happened locally

That is about 13:37 local solar time at the epicentre, around midday.

This event was deeper than 94% of the 394 earthquakes recorded in Tonga in our catalogue and stronger than 46% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at -20.4066, -177.9940 — 292 km west-northwest of Houma. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.2 earthquake 4 km west-southwest of here on 28 June 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Levuka (118 km west-northwest), Pangai (199 km east-northeast) and Houma (245 km south-southeast).

Why the 533 km depth matters

At 533 km this was a deep-focus earthquake, occurring well inside the subducting slab rather than in the crust. Deep events are rarely damaging even at large magnitudes, though they can be felt over very long distances.

This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size is often felt across the surrounding area. Its deep focus normally weakens surface shaking while spreading perceptible motion over a broad area.

Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →

What does the tsunami information flag mean?

The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M4.8 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; its 533 km focal depth is too great to deform the sea floor significantly; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.

How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →

Aftershocks and local seismic history

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.

252 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.3 event near Fiji region on 01 March 2026. This M4.8 event released about 178 times less energy than that event.

84 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 5 of them in the past 30 days.

How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →

Where this event sits in the record

This earthquake is part of the September 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Tonga during September 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in Tonga

All recorded earthquakes in Tonga →

Other magnitude 4 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 4 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Houma?

It measured magnitude 4.8 — a light earthquake. A magnitude 4.8 earthquake radiates roughly 239 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Houma?

The focus was 533 km below the surface, which counts as deep.

Was the Houma earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 4.8 and a focal depth of 533 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.

When did the earthquake near Houma happen?

01 September 2026 at 01:29 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.

How often do earthquakes happen near Houma?

252 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.3 event near Fiji region on 01 March 2026. This M4.8 event released about 178 times less energy than that event.