M5.0 earthquake 105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Mar 12, 1986, 3:06 AM GMT-11 (14:06 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 85 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1986-03-12 14:06:23 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.119° S, 173.324° 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 2.0 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.892 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14782 days ago · 95 km deep · 85 km away
- 4.539 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14780 days ago · 140 km deep · 99 km away
- 5.385 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14774 days ago · 33 km deep · 35 km away
- 5.799 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14773 days ago · 33 km deep · 6 km away
- 5.277 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14773 days ago · 108 km deep · 56 km away
- 5.545 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14770 days ago · 89 km deep · 79 km away
- 4.6127 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14766 days ago · 33 km deep · 59 km away
- 5.296 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14765 days ago · 33 km deep · 9 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002rsv. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:28 PM UTC.