M5.5 earthquake 87 km E of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 87 km E of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Feb 21, 1969, 9:46 AM GMT-11 (20:46 UTC), 26 km (16 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.9 162 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1969-02-21 20:46:27 UTC
- Depth
- 26.0 km (16.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.975° S, 172.979° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.20
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem812456. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:03 AM UTC.