Observed earthquake
123 km W of Neiafu, Tonga
Recent observationReported by 3 agencies. Every solution below is that agency's own measurement, stored unaltered.
Agency solutions
The same earthquake as measured independently by each agency. Values are never averaged or rewritten.
| Agency | Magnitude | Depth | Origin time | Epicentre | Review status | Source record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEOFONGFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences | M5.5 Mw | 176 km | 2026-10-12 04:38:11 UTC | 18.66°S, 175.15°W | Not stated | gfz2026tzgc ↗ |
| USGSUnited States Geological Survey | M5.5 mww | 195 km | 2026-10-12 04:38:12 UTC | 18.72°S, 175.15°W | Reviewed by an analyst111 stations | us6000u1pl ↗ |
| EMSCEuropean-Mediterranean Seismological Centre | M5.5 mw | 182 km | 2026-10-12 04:38:11 UTC | 18.64°S, 175.08°W | Not stated | 20261012_0000073 ↗ |
Source: Earthquake solutions from the GEOFON programme, GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences. · Retrieved: 2026-10-12 04:53:48 UTC · grouped with match confidence 100%
Source: Earthquake data courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey. · Retrieved: 2026-10-12 04:58:50 UTC
Source: Earthquake data from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) via SeismicPortal. · Retrieved: 2026-10-12 04:48:37 UTC
Why the agencies differ
Differences of a few tenths of a magnitude unit and tens of kilometres are normal and expected. Each agency uses a different set of seismic stations, a different velocity model for the Earth's interior, and sometimes a different magnitude scale altogether. None of them is “wrong”; they are independent measurements of the same event.
Prakruti groups solutions only when they agree closely in both time and location, and shows the preferred solution — favouring an analyst-reviewed moment magnitude where one exists — while keeping every other solution visible above.