M4.8 earthquake 224 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 224 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Jan 22, 1982, 2:57 AM GMT-11 (13:57 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.2 175 km SE 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
- 1982-01-22 13:57:58 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.785° S, 171.877° 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: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001j7a. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:58 AM UTC.