M4.8 earthquake 91 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 91 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga on Mon, Mar 18, 1985, 8:16 PM GMT-11 (07:16 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.6 35 km ENE 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
- 1985-03-19 07:16:02 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.586° S, 173.243° 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: 4 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 usp0002d19. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:20 AM UTC.