Moderate quake hits Pacific Island coast

The USGS reported the moderate quake as striking at 8.50 am local time, about 520 kilometres northwest of the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa.

An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 5.8 struck near the Pacific island of Tonga on Monday, the US Geological Survey said.

HT Image

The USGS reported the moderate quake as striking at 8.50 am local time, about 520 kilometres northwest of the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa.

Its depth was 588 kilometres beneath the surface.

The 5.8 reading was based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale, now used by US seismologists, which measures the area of the fault that ruptured and the total energy released.