Tonga earthquakes

M4.6 earthquake 202 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 202 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Apr 3, 1981, 9:44 PM GMT-11 (08:44 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.1 104 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

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Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.6 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1981-04-04 08:44:01 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
17.051° S, 172.275° 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

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.1104 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16578 days ago · 33 km deep · 99 km away
  2. 4.5109 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16553 days ago · 33 km deep · 98 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001d0g. Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 8:53 PM UTC.