M5.2 earthquake 96 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 96 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sun, Apr 20, 1986, 2:11 PM GMT-11 (01:11 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.0 90 km ENE 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
- 5.2 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1986-04-21 01:11:29 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.201° S, 173.348° 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 2.2 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 6.090 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14731 days ago · 33 km deep · 52 km away
- 5.178 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 14728 days ago · 33 km deep · 90 km away
- 5.452 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 14727 days ago · 33 km deep · 64 km away
- 4.585 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 14725 days ago · 33 km deep · 53 km away
Before
- 4.6127 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14765 days ago · 33 km deep · 59 km away
- 5.545 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14770 days ago · 89 km deep · 72 km away
- 5.277 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14772 days ago · 108 km deep · 49 km away
- 5.799 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14772 days ago · 33 km deep · 3 km away
- 5.385 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14773 days ago · 33 km deep · 28 km away
- 4.539 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14779 days ago · 140 km deep · 92 km away
- 4.892 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14782 days ago · 95 km deep · 82 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002t2n (also filed as gcmtb042186a, gcmt19860421011129, iscgem498694). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 6:14 AM UTC.