The United States Geological Survey
detected a Magnitude 5.9 Earthquake at a depth of 10 km, about 110 km to
the east of the islands of Tongatapu (the largest of the 177 islands
that make up the Kingdom of Tonga) and 'Eua slightly after 11.35 pm local time
(slightly after 10.35 am GMT) on Sunday 2 June 2019.
While this was a large quake, it was unlikely to present any danger due
to its distance from shore, and there are no reports of it being felt.
The approximate location of the 2 June 2019 Tonga Earthquake. USGS.
The islands of Tonga lie along the boundary between the Pacific and
Australian Tectonic Plates. The Pacific Plate is being subducted beneath
the Australian Plate along the Tonga Trench, which forms the boundary
between these two plates, with the volcanic islands that make up the
archipelago being formed as the subducting plate is melted by the heat
of the planet's interior, so that lighter minerals rise up through the
overlying plate as liquid magma, which fuels the volcanoes that build
the islands. This subduction is not a smooth process, with the two
plates constantly sticking together until the pressure generated by
their movement builds up sufficiently to break them apart, causing a
sudden forward jerk we experience as an Earthquake.
Diagram showing subduction along the Tonga Trench, and how this feeds the volcanoes of the Tonga Volcanic Arc. York University.
Witness
accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events,
and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit
organisation Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.
See also...
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