Tonga earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 181 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 181 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga on Thu, Sep 19, 1985, 9:06 PM GMT+13 (08:06 UTC), 300 km (186 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.1 137 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga. 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
1985-09-19 08:06:20 UTC
Depth
299.5 km (186.1 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
18.104° S, 175.606° 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: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002jw8. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:43 AM UTC.