M4.8 earthquake 81 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 81 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga on Sun, Dec 1, 1985, 7:56 PM GMT+13 (06:56 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.4 95 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
- 4.8 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1985-12-01 06:56:02 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.978° S, 174.286° 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: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.495 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 14873 days ago · 33 km deep · 24 km away
- 4.615 km E of Neiafu, Tonga · 14872 days ago · 33 km deep · 86 km away
- 4.7149 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 14848 days ago · 33 km deep · 71 km away
- 5.1129 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 14846 days ago · 126 km deep · 50 km away
- 4.7166 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 14846 days ago · 33 km deep · 85 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002nef. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 6:04 AM UTC.