Tonga earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 280 km WSW of Haveluloto, Tonga

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 280 km WSW of Haveluloto, Tonga on Fri, Nov 1, 1985, 5:48 PM GMT+13 (04:48 UTC), 387 km (240 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.1 Fiji region. This one was a foreshock.

Nuku‘alofa forecastMore in Tonga

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.9 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1985-11-01 04:48:19 UTC
Depth
386.5 km (240.2 mi), deep
Epicenter
21.733° S, 177.845° 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
FROM_LOCATION

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002mby. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:53 AM UTC.