M4.9 earthquake 8 km E of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 8 km E of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Mar 20, 1981, 11:31 AM GMT-11 (22:31 UTC), 146 km (91 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.1 104 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
- 4.9 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-03-20 22:31:03 UTC
- Depth
- 146.1 km (90.8 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 15.947° S, 173.716° 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.
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.675 km WSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 16595 days ago · 252 km deep · 84 km away
- 5.1104 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16575 days ago · 33 km deep · 98 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001ct4. Read Thu, Sep 24, 2026, 11:31 AM UTC.