M5.2 earthquake 94 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 94 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Oct 23, 1985, 6:16 AM GMT-11 (17:16 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 87 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
- 5.2 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1985-10-23 17:16:17 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.219° S, 173.340° 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 2.2 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
- 4.444 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14952 days ago · 53 km deep · 56 km away
- 4.894 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 14961 days ago · 33 km deep · 36 km away
- 4.767 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14968 days ago · 33 km deep · 53 km away
- 4.588 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14970 days ago · 33 km deep · 20 km away
- 4.859 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 14971 days ago · 33 km deep · 83 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002m2e. Read Mon, Sep 21, 2026, 9:23 PM UTC.