M4.8 earthquake 123 km W of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 123 km W of Hihifo, Tonga on Sun, Nov 9, 1986, 12:27 AM GMT-12 (12:27 UTC), 303 km (189 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 93 km WNW 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
- 4.8 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1986-11-09 12:27:40 UTC
- Depth
- 303.4 km (188.5 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 16.009° S, 174.950° 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.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002zu5. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 5:49 AM UTC.