Magnitude 6.0 earthquake near Tonga, says US Geological Survey

An earthquake of magnitude 6.0 occurred this Saturday near Tonga – an island country in the South Pacific with about 170 islands – according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake had a depth of about 215 kilometers and struck about 127 kilometers (about 133 miles) west of the city of Neiafu, the USGS said.

According to the USGS, this telluric movement is in green alert. This means that the probability of casualties and property damage was low despite the fact that in general the population of this region resides in structures vulnerable to seismic shocks.

a volcanic region

In January 2022, Tonga recorded the underwater eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano. According to NASA, it was hundreds of times stronger than the Hiroshima nuclear explosion, as it released a large amount of mechanical energy.

The volcanic eruption ejected ash and rock at an altitude of up to 40 kilometers into the atmosphere. In addition, it caused tsunami waves, some of which reached heights of up to 15 meters and affected various areas of the archipelago, including the main island of this nation in the Pacific.

According to the Prime Minister of Tonga, during the event a large volcanic cloud spread and covered the country’s 170 or so islands and impacted almost 100,000 people.