Tonga earthquakes

M4.8 earthquake 42 km E of Neiafu, Tonga

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 42 km E of Neiafu, Tonga on Sat, Nov 2, 1985, 4:37 AM GMT+13 (15:37 UTC), 136 km (85 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.9 112 km ENE 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
4.8 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1985-11-01 15:37:55 UTC
Depth
136.0 km (84.5 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
18.691° S, 173.582° 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 1.8 and up: 2 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 usp0002mca. Read Mon, Sep 21, 2026, 10:19 PM UTC.