M4.5 earthquake 124 km WSW of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 124 km WSW of Hihifo, Tonga on Sun, Jan 12, 1986, 8:39 PM GMT-12 (08:39 UTC), 300 km (186 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.7 166 km NNW 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
- 4.5 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1986-01-13 08:39:12 UTC
- Depth
- 300.1 km (186.5 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 16.497° S, 174.818° 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
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.7166 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 14856 days ago · 33 km deep · 89 km away
- 4.2137 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14817 days ago · 110 km deep · 60 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002q0r. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 1:46 AM UTC.