Tonga earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 85 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 85 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Apr 11, 1986, 5:04 PM GMT-11 (04:04 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.7 99 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

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Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.3 (mw), moderate
Local time
UTC
1986-04-12 04:04:31 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.421° S, 173.223° 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 2.3 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.799 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14773 days ago · 33 km deep · 30 km away
  2. 5.277 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14772 days ago · 108 km deep · 21 km away
  3. 5.545 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14770 days ago · 89 km deep · 75 km away
  4. 4.6127 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14765 days ago · 33 km deep · 46 km away
  5. 5.296 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14764 days ago · 33 km deep · 28 km away
  6. 6.090 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14731 days ago · 33 km deep · 25 km away
  7. 5.9103 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14729 days ago · 33 km deep · 95 km away
  8. 5.178 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 14728 days ago · 33 km deep · 63 km away
  9. 5.452 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 14727 days ago · 33 km deep · 70 km away
  10. 4.585 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 14725 days ago · 33 km deep · 72 km away

Before

  1. 4.539 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14779 days ago · 140 km deep · 92 km away
  2. 4.892 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14782 days ago · 95 km deep · 100 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002sux (also filed as gcmtb041286a, gcmt19860412040431, iscgem498037). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:40 AM UTC.