Tonga earthquakes

M4.7 earthquake 37 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 37 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Sep 23, 1981, 4:47 AM GMT-11 (15:47 UTC), 123 km (76 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 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1981-09-23 15:47:56 UTC
Depth
123.0 km (76.4 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
15.734° S, 173.533° 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
CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.7 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 18 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.8107 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 16428 days ago · 33 km deep · 87 km away
  2. 4.772 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16427 days ago · 33 km deep · 50 km away
  3. 5.4102 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16422 days ago · 33 km deep · 65 km away
  4. 4.9126 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16415 days ago · 48 km deep · 90 km away
  5. 5.045 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 16411 days ago · 106 km deep · 76 km away
  6. 4.872 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16396 days ago · 33 km deep · 35 km away

Before

  1. 4.8110 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16448 days ago · 33 km deep · 74 km away
  2. 4.9104 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16454 days ago · 33 km deep · 79 km away
  3. 4.7116 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 79 km away
  4. 5.3116 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 93 km away
  5. 5.5102 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 66 km away
  6. 4.8127 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 91 km away
  7. 4.4126 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 97 km away
  8. 4.9115 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16464 days ago · 33 km deep · 80 km away
  9. 5.6104 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16464 days ago · 33 km deep · 68 km away
  10. 5.788 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16464 days ago · 33 km deep · 53 km away
  11. 4.6101 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16464 days ago · 33 km deep · 68 km away
  12. 5.1111 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16464 days ago · 33 km deep · 75 km away
  13. 4.8112 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16464 days ago · 33 km deep · 79 km away
  14. 4.5126 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16464 days ago · 33 km deep · 96 km away
  15. 5.2113 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16464 days ago · 33 km deep · 82 km away
  16. 5.6105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16464 days ago · 33 km deep · 71 km away
  17. 7.7133 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16464 days ago · 25 km deep · 99 km away
  18. 5.8105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16464 days ago · 33 km deep · 71 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001g26. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 12:57 PM UTC.