M4.2 earthquake 137 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 137 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Mar 8, 1986, 11:54 PM GMT-12 (11:54 UTC), 110 km (68 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.8 Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.2 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1986-03-09 11:54:30 UTC
- Depth
- 109.6 km (68.1 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 16.968° S, 174.541° 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: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.8Tonga · 14797 days ago · 33 km deep · 82 km away
- 4.6138 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14793 days ago · 33 km deep · 10 km away
- 5.5147 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14770 days ago · 131 km deep · 58 km away
- 4.5195 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 14763 days ago · 243 km deep · 74 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002rpe. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 3:17 PM UTC.