M5.2 earthquake 86 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 86 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sun, Jan 4, 1981, 9:04 AM GMT-11 (20:04 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.6 111 km NNW 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
- 5.2 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-01-04 20:04:57 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.372° S, 173.260° 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.
- Depth from
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
- Stations used
- 24
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.6111 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 16699 days ago · 33 km deep · 93 km away
- 4.8111 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16680 days ago · 33 km deep · 56 km away
- 5.284 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16671 days ago · 33 km deep · 2 km away
- 4.8124 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16662 days ago · 33 km deep · 39 km away
- 5.476 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16651 days ago · 33 km deep · 11 km away
- 4.924 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 16646 days ago · 99 km deep · 98 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001bkq. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 9:12 AM UTC.