Tonga earthquakes

M4.7 earthquake 116 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 116 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Sep 2, 1981, 1:46 PM GMT-11 (00:46 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.4 102 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
4.7 (ms), light
Local time
UTC
1981-09-03 00:46:21 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.304° S, 172.947° 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 1.7 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 17 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.9104 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16454 days ago · 33 km deep · 78 km away
  2. 4.8110 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16448 days ago · 33 km deep · 21 km away
  3. 4.737 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16442 days ago · 123 km deep · 79 km away
  4. 4.8107 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 16428 days ago · 33 km deep · 86 km away
  5. 4.772 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16426 days ago · 33 km deep · 80 km away
  6. 5.4102 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16422 days ago · 33 km deep · 21 km away
  7. 4.9126 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16415 days ago · 48 km deep · 20 km away

Before

  1. 5.3116 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 90 km away
  2. 5.5102 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 19 km away
  3. 4.8127 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 25 km away
  4. 4.8136 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 47 km away
  5. 4.4126 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 60 km away
  6. 4.9115 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 15 km away
  7. 5.6104 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 26 km away
  8. 5.788 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 38 km away
  9. 4.6101 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 44 km away
  10. 5.1111 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16464 days ago · 33 km deep · 16 km away
  11. 4.8112 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16464 days ago · 33 km deep · 48 km away
  12. 4.5126 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16464 days ago · 33 km deep · 57 km away
  13. 5.2113 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16464 days ago · 33 km deep · 54 km away
  14. 5.6105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16464 days ago · 33 km deep · 38 km away
  15. 7.7133 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16464 days ago · 25 km deep · 41 km away
  16. 5.8105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16464 days ago · 33 km deep · 41 km away
  17. 4.695 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16475 days ago · 33 km deep · 100 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001fn0. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 4:10 AM UTC.