M4.8 earthquake 80 km ENE of Kolonga, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 80 km ENE of Kolonga, Tonga on Mon, Jan 21, 1985, 2:56 PM GMT+13 (01:56 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.0 85 km SSE of Pangai, 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
- 1985-01-21 01:56:56 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.857° S, 174.348° 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 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002b7y. Read Mon, Sep 21, 2026, 3:37 PM UTC.