M4.7 earthquake 72 km N of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 72 km N of Hihifo, Tonga on Thu, Oct 8, 1981, 1:50 PM GMT-11 (00:50 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.8 94 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.7 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-10-09 00:50:10 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.310° S, 173.695° 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 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.4102 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16424 days ago · 33 km deep · 59 km away
- 4.9126 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16417 days ago · 48 km deep · 98 km away
- 4.872 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16397 days ago · 33 km deep · 46 km away
- 5.894 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16380 days ago · 33 km deep · 42 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001gc1. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC.