Magnitude 7.5 Deep Earthquake West of Tonga Is the Strongest Worldwide So Far in 2026
On March 24, 2026, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in the South Pacific west of the Kingdom of Tonga. The epicenter was about 166 kilometers west of Neiafu, in Tonga's Vava'u islands, at 04:37 UTC (16:37 local time in Tonga), at a depth of about 229.5 kilometers, making it a deep-focus earthquake. It was the strongest earthquake recorded worldwide so far in 2026; USGS initially reported it as magnitude 7.6 before revising it to 7.5.
Because of the great depth, the USGS PAGER system issued a Green alert, meaning a low risk of shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System assessed that the earthquake posed no tsunami threat. Tonga's meteorological service issued a tsunami warning across the island chain and urged people to move to higher ground; the warning was lifted about two hours later, with no reports of tsunami waves or damage at the time. Several aftershocks followed, including one of magnitude 5.2.
The Tonga segment of the Tonga-Kermadec subduction zone is one of the most seismically active plate boundaries in the world, and deep-focus earthquakes are not uncommon there.
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Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：汤加瓦瓦乌群岛 Neiafu 及其海港的空中俯瞰（资料照片），本次7.5级地震震中位于 Neiafu 以西约166公里海域。Heiko Bammann 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: An aerial view of Neiafu and its harbour in Tonga's Vava'u islands (file photo); the magnitude 7.5 earthquake was centered about 166 kilometers west of Neiafu. Photo by Heiko Bammann, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
