M4.9 earthquake 116 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 116 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Jul 1, 1981, 5:24 AM GMT-11 (16:24 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.6 81 km NNE 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
- 1981-07-01 16:24:47 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.528° S, 172.799° 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 1.9 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.681 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16516 days ago · 33 km deep · 76 km away
- 4.793 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16492 days ago · 35 km deep · 25 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001ef6. Read Thu, Sep 24, 2026, 9:30 AM UTC.