Tonga earthquakes

M5.5 earthquake 45 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 45 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, Apr 15, 1986, 2:15 AM GMT-11 (13:15 UTC), 89 km (55 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.8 109 km NW 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
5.5 (mw), moderate
Local time
UTC
1986-04-15 13:15:02 UTC
Depth
88.5 km (55.0 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
15.561° S, 173.905° 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
CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.296 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14764 days ago · 33 km deep · 72 km away
  2. 5.8109 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14753 days ago · 33 km deep · 68 km away
  3. 6.090 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14731 days ago · 33 km deep · 91 km away
  4. 5.452 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 14727 days ago · 33 km deep · 9 km away
  5. 4.585 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 14725 days ago · 33 km deep · 42 km away

Before

  1. 5.5135 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14770 days ago · 33 km deep · 92 km away
  2. 5.277 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14772 days ago · 108 km deep · 79 km away
  3. 5.799 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14772 days ago · 33 km deep · 75 km away
  4. 5.385 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14773 days ago · 33 km deep · 75 km away
  5. 4.539 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14779 days ago · 140 km deep · 20 km away
  6. 4.892 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14782 days ago · 95 km deep · 48 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002sxt (also filed as gcmtb041586b, gcmt19860415131503, iscgem498290). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:00 AM UTC.