M4.8 earthquake 118 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 118 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sun, Apr 5, 1981, 1:16 PM GMT-11 (00:16 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.9 142 km NE 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
- 4.8 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-04-06 00:16:13 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.031° S, 173.231° 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 1.8 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 usp0001d16. Read Sat, Sep 26, 2026, 3:48 PM UTC.