Tonga earthquakes

M4.4 earthquake 126 km E of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck 126 km E of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, Sep 1, 1981, 2:46 PM GMT-11 (01:46 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.5 102 km ENE 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
4.4 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1981-09-02 01:46:59 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.754° S, 172.631° 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: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.8136 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16461 days ago · 33 km deep · 22 km away
  2. 4.8127 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16461 days ago · 33 km deep · 85 km away
  3. 5.5102 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16460 days ago · 33 km deep · 48 km away
  4. 4.7116 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16460 days ago · 33 km deep · 60 km away
  5. 4.8110 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16445 days ago · 33 km deep · 80 km away
  6. 4.737 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16439 days ago · 123 km deep · 97 km away
  7. 4.8107 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 16425 days ago · 33 km deep · 39 km away
  8. 5.4102 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16420 days ago · 33 km deep · 76 km away
  9. 4.9126 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16413 days ago · 48 km deep · 45 km away

Before

  1. 4.9115 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16461 days ago · 33 km deep · 45 km away
  2. 5.6104 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16461 days ago · 33 km deep · 83 km away
  3. 5.788 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16461 days ago · 33 km deep · 87 km away
  4. 5.1111 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16461 days ago · 33 km deep · 75 km away
  5. 4.5126 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16461 days ago · 33 km deep · 4 km away
  6. 5.6105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16461 days ago · 33 km deep · 95 km away
  7. 5.8105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16461 days ago · 33 km deep · 98 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001fmf. Read Sat, Sep 26, 2026, 6:44 PM UTC.