M4.8 earthquake 72 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 72 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sun, Nov 8, 1981, 12:45 PM GMT-11 (23:45 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
- 4.8 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-11-08 23:45:06 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.500° S, 173.313° 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: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.5137 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16387 days ago · 33 km deep · 68 km away
- 5.894 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16376 days ago · 33 km deep · 28 km away
- 5.655 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16348 days ago · 73 km deep · 48 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001gvs. Read Sat, Sep 26, 2026, 9:38 PM UTC.