Tonga earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 104 km N of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 104 km N of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Sep 11, 1981, 1:07 AM GMT-11 (12:07 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
4.9 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1981-09-11 12:07:04 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.030° S, 173.617° 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: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 16 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.8110 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16443 days ago · 33 km deep · 57 km away
  2. 4.737 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16437 days ago · 123 km deep · 79 km away
  3. 4.772 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16422 days ago · 33 km deep · 32 km away
  4. 5.4102 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16417 days ago · 33 km deep · 58 km away
  5. 4.9126 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16410 days ago · 48 km deep · 98 km away
  6. 4.872 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16391 days ago · 33 km deep · 62 km away

Before

  1. 4.7154 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16456 days ago · 33 km deep · 53 km away
  2. 4.7116 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16458 days ago · 33 km deep · 78 km away
  3. 5.3116 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16458 days ago · 33 km deep · 15 km away
  4. 5.5102 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16458 days ago · 33 km deep · 85 km away
  5. 4.8127 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16458 days ago · 33 km deep · 65 km away
  6. 4.9115 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16459 days ago · 33 km deep · 91 km away
  7. 5.6104 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16459 days ago · 33 km deep · 52 km away
  8. 5.788 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16459 days ago · 33 km deep · 46 km away
  9. 4.6101 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16459 days ago · 33 km deep · 34 km away
  10. 5.1111 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16459 days ago · 33 km deep · 63 km away
  11. 4.8112 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16459 days ago · 33 km deep · 33 km away
  12. 5.2113 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16459 days ago · 33 km deep · 28 km away
  13. 5.6105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16459 days ago · 33 km deep · 40 km away
  14. 7.7133 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16459 days ago · 25 km deep · 58 km away
  15. 5.8105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16459 days ago · 33 km deep · 37 km away
  16. 4.695 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16470 days ago · 33 km deep · 26 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001ft8. Read Thu, Sep 24, 2026, 12:41 PM UTC.