Tonga earthquakes

M4.0 earthquake Tonga

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck in Tonga on Sun, May 16, 1982, 12:08 PM GMT-12 (00:08 UTC), 212 km (132 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.3 123 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

More in Tonga

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
4.0 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1982-05-17 00:08:47 UTC
Depth
211.8 km (131.6 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
16.844° S, 174.373° 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.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 6.3123 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 16174 days ago · 123 km deep · 86 km away
  2. 5.5116 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 16174 days ago · 119 km deep · 93 km away
  3. 4.9119 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 16174 days ago · 121 km deep · 88 km away
  4. 4.3155 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 16174 days ago · 123 km deep · 55 km away
  5. 4.9127 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 16170 days ago · 120 km deep · 78 km away
  6. 4.9158 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 16167 days ago · 124 km deep · 51 km away
  7. 4.5117 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 16156 days ago · 33 km deep · 26 km away

Before

  1. 4.5104 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 16219 days ago · 115 km deep · 15 km away
  2. 5.0117 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 16219 days ago · 108 km deep · 36 km away
  3. 4.898 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16228 days ago · 54 km deep · 81 km away

Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001mcm. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:18 AM UTC.