Tonga earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 126 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 126 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, Sep 1, 1981, 12:54 AM GMT-11 (11:54 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.7 88 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.5 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1981-09-01 11:54:38 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.720° S, 172.637° 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 1.5 and up: 15 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.1111 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16459 days ago · 33 km deep · 72 km away
  2. 4.6101 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16459 days ago · 33 km deep · 97 km away
  3. 5.788 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16459 days ago · 33 km deep · 84 km away
  4. 5.6104 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16459 days ago · 33 km deep · 80 km away
  5. 4.9115 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16459 days ago · 33 km deep · 41 km away
  6. 4.4126 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 16459 days ago · 33 km deep · 4 km away
  7. 4.8136 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16458 days ago · 33 km deep · 19 km away
  8. 4.8127 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16458 days ago · 33 km deep · 81 km away
  9. 5.5102 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16458 days ago · 33 km deep · 46 km away
  10. 4.7116 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16458 days ago · 33 km deep · 57 km away
  11. 4.8110 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16443 days ago · 33 km deep · 77 km away
  12. 4.737 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16437 days ago · 123 km deep · 96 km away
  13. 4.8107 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 16423 days ago · 33 km deep · 42 km away
  14. 5.4102 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16417 days ago · 33 km deep · 73 km away
  15. 4.9126 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16410 days ago · 48 km deep · 41 km away

Before

  1. 5.6105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16459 days ago · 33 km deep · 92 km away
  2. 7.7133 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16459 days ago · 25 km deep · 97 km away
  3. 5.8105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16459 days ago · 33 km deep · 95 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001fm2. Read Thu, Sep 24, 2026, 1:35 PM UTC.