M4.6 earthquake 97 km W of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 97 km W of Neiafu, Tonga on Sat, Jan 12, 1985, 4:19 PM GMT+13 (03:19 UTC), 233 km (145 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.7 85 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.6 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1985-01-12 03:19:28 UTC
- Depth
- 232.7 km (144.6 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 18.653° S, 174.911° 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 1.6 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 1 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 usp0002ayx. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 3:29 AM UTC.