M4.8 earthquake 93 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 93 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga on Sat, Dec 27, 1980, 4:16 PM GMT+13 (03:16 UTC), 86 km (53 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.1 122 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.8 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1980-12-27 03:16:57 UTC
- Depth
- 86.0 km (53.4 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 18.434° S, 174.843° 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.
- Stations used
- 15
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 2 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 usp0001bfy. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 2:02 PM UTC.