M4.9 earthquake 153 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 153 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sun, Jul 20, 1986, 2:01 PM GMT-11 (01:01 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.4 89 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
- 4.9 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1986-07-21 01:01:53 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.635° S, 172.400° 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 1.9 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.489 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14662 days ago · 33 km deep · 99 km away
- 4.6174 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14631 days ago · 33 km deep · 97 km away
- 4.897 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 14622 days ago · 33 km deep · 71 km away
Before
- 4.8114 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 14692 days ago · 33 km deep · 49 km away
- 5.1107 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14694 days ago · 33 km deep · 48 km away
- 4.3145 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14694 days ago · 33 km deep · 8 km away
- 5.7116 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 14694 days ago · 33 km deep · 39 km away
- 4.4100 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14694 days ago · 33 km deep · 59 km away
- 6.1150 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14694 days ago · 33 km deep · 10 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002w8q. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:44 PM UTC.