Observed earthquake
260 km WNW of Houma, 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 | M4.9 mb | 518 km | 2026-10-11 10:05:41 UTC | 20.37°S, 177.65°W | Not stated | gfz2026txvj ↗ |
| EMSCEuropean-Mediterranean Seismological Centre | M4.7 mb | 532 km | 2026-10-11 10:05:42 UTC | 20.32°S, 177.70°W | Not stated | 20261011_0000166 ↗ |
| USGSUnited States Geological Survey | M4.6 mb | 513 km | 2026-10-11 10:05:41 UTC | 20.39°S, 177.66°W | Reviewed by an analyst86 stations | us6000u1jv ↗ |
Source: Earthquake solutions from the GEOFON programme, GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences. · Retrieved: 2026-10-11 10:33:54 UTC · grouped with match confidence 95%
Source: Earthquake data from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) via SeismicPortal. · Retrieved: 2026-10-11 10:28:46 UTC
Source: Earthquake data courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey. · Retrieved: 2026-10-11 10:28:43 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.