M 5.3 in Tonga on 18 Jan 2026 12:31 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 1520043
Earthquake Magnitude: 5.3M
Depth: 10 Km
Lat/Lon: -22.3776 , -174.436
Event Date: 18 Jan 2026 12:31 UTC
18 Jan 2026 00:31 Local
Exposed Population:
Few people affected in MMI -
Inserted at: 18 Jan 2026 13:08 UTC
INFORM Coping capacity:
1.1 (Tonga)

GDACS Score

For more info on GDACS alert score click here.
  Earthquake
(Rapid Impact)		 GDACS score
NEIC 0 0
us7000rqf7 Scaled population (vector) 0  
  C1 rapid impact 0  
  C2 rapid impact 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

Significant 5.3 quake hits near Ha''atu''a, ''Eua fo''ou, Eua, Tonga 1/18/2026 1:39:00 PM.

The ''Hysteretic Tuned Mass Dampers (HTMDs)'' technology is a specialised system designed to reduce vibrations in high-rise buildings caused by wind and earthquakes.By controlling building movement, it enhances stability and occupant comfor
...(more)

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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 (41), (3), NEIC (4), OCHA (1), INGV (1), WMO (1), INFORM (2), USGS (2),