Tonga earthquakes

M4.7 earthquake 154 km N of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 154 km N of Hihifo, Tonga on Thu, Sep 3, 1981, 4:31 PM GMT-11 (03:31 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
1981-09-04 03:31:16 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
14.562° S, 173.692° 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: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 12 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.9104 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16455 days ago · 33 km deep · 53 km away
  2. 4.8110 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16449 days ago · 33 km deep · 95 km away
  3. 4.772 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16428 days ago · 33 km deep · 83 km away
  4. 5.4102 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16424 days ago · 33 km deep · 100 km away

Before

  1. 5.3116 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16464 days ago · 33 km deep · 39 km away
  2. 4.8127 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16465 days ago · 33 km deep · 93 km away
  3. 5.6104 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16465 days ago · 33 km deep · 92 km away
  4. 5.788 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16465 days ago · 33 km deep · 94 km away
  5. 4.6101 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16465 days ago · 33 km deep · 77 km away
  6. 5.1111 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16465 days ago · 33 km deep · 100 km away
  7. 4.8112 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16465 days ago · 33 km deep · 68 km away
  8. 5.2113 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16465 days ago · 33 km deep · 62 km away
  9. 5.6105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16465 days ago · 33 km deep · 80 km away
  10. 7.7133 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16466 days ago · 25 km deep · 79 km away
  11. 5.8105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16466 days ago · 33 km deep · 77 km away
  12. 4.695 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16477 days ago · 33 km deep · 61 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001fnu. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:24 PM UTC.