M4.6 earthquake 75 km WSW of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 75 km WSW of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Apr 18, 1981, 3:25 AM GMT-11 (14:25 UTC), 252 km (156 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.0 31 km SE 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
- 4.6 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-04-18 14:25:25 UTC
- Depth
- 251.8 km (156.5 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 16.178° S, 174.466° 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 1.6 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.523 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 16559 days ago · 86 km deep · 70 km away
- 6.031 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16551 days ago · 33 km deep · 97 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001d7c. Read Thu, Sep 24, 2026, 4:19 AM UTC.