Tonga earthquakes

M4.8 earthquake 110 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 110 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Thu, Sep 17, 1981, 4:09 AM GMT-11 (15:09 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
4.8 (ms), light
Local time
UTC
1981-09-17 15:09:29 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.206° S, 173.118° 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 1.8 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 20 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.737 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16441 days ago · 123 km deep · 74 km away
  2. 4.772 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16425 days ago · 33 km deep · 63 km away
  3. 5.4102 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16421 days ago · 33 km deep · 9 km away
  4. 4.9126 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16414 days ago · 48 km deep · 41 km away
  5. 4.872 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16394 days ago · 33 km deep · 39 km away
  6. 4.5137 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16389 days ago · 33 km deep · 42 km away

Before

  1. 4.9104 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16453 days ago · 33 km deep · 57 km away
  2. 4.7154 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16460 days ago · 33 km deep · 95 km away
  3. 4.7116 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16461 days ago · 33 km deep · 21 km away
  4. 5.3116 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16462 days ago · 33 km deep · 69 km away
  5. 5.5102 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16462 days ago · 33 km deep · 33 km away
  6. 4.8127 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16462 days ago · 33 km deep · 17 km away
  7. 4.8136 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16462 days ago · 33 km deep · 68 km away
  8. 4.4126 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 16462 days ago · 33 km deep · 80 km away
  9. 4.9115 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16462 days ago · 33 km deep · 36 km away
  10. 5.6104 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16462 days ago · 33 km deep · 7 km away
  11. 5.788 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16462 days ago · 33 km deep · 23 km away
  12. 4.6101 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16462 days ago · 33 km deep · 23 km away
  13. 5.1111 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 6 km away
  14. 4.8112 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 27 km away
  15. 4.5126 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 77 km away
  16. 5.2113 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 33 km away
  17. 5.6105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 17 km away
  18. 7.7133 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 25 km deep · 28 km away
  19. 5.8105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 20 km away
  20. 4.695 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16474 days ago · 33 km deep · 80 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001fy2. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 4:14 AM UTC.