A map showing the location of a magnitude 7.5 earthquake that happened near Tonga in the Pacific Ocean on March 24, 2026. Image courtesy USGS
A magnitude-7.5 earthquake struck the South Pacific near Tonga on Tuesday, the strongest quake recorded anywhere in the world so far in 2026.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake's epicenter was roughly 95 miles west of Neiafu, Tonga, and around 370 miles east of Fiji, with shaking felt on some nearby islands. There were no immediate reports of major damage.
Despite its strength, the earthquake was deep, occurring about 148 miles below the Earth's surface. Because of that depth, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and USGS said no tsunami threat was expected. In general, tsunami risk is higher when a strong quake happens closer to the ocean floor and causes significant seafloor movement.
Tuesday's tremor is the biggest anywhere in the world since a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck off the coast of Japan on Dec. 8, 2025. The biggest earthquake of 2025 was a magnitude 8.8 event near Russia's Kamchatka region, which triggered tsunami warnings across parts of the Pacific, including Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast.
