M4.6 earthquake 138 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 138 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Apr 2, 1986, 6:04 AM GMT-12 (18:04 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 147 km SSW 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
- 4.6 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1986-04-02 18:04:57 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.024° S, 174.472° 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
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.5147 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14760 days ago · 131 km deep · 48 km away
- 4.5195 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 14753 days ago · 243 km deep · 78 km away
- 4.7114 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 14723 days ago · 33 km deep · 90 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002sk9. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:55 AM UTC.