M5.7 earthquake 35 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 35 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Nov 29, 1986, 5:54 AM GMT-11 (16:54 UTC), 106 km (66 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.7 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1986-11-29 16:54:13 UTC
- Depth
- 105.6 km (65.6 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 16.252° S, 173.930° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.7 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.66 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.7 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 10S, 26C Centroid Location: Origin Time 16:54:20.2 0.3 Lat 16.06S 0.03 Lon 173.77W 0.03 Dep 100.5 1.4 Half-duration 2.7 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**24 D-CM Mrr=3.10 0.09 Mtt=-2.57 0.17 Mff=-0.53 0.17 Mrt=-1.36 0.08 Mrf=-1.62 0.08 Mtf=-1.38 0.13 Principal Axes: (T) Val=3.83 Plg=70 Azm=114 (N) Val=0.00 Plg=11 Azm=237 (P) Val=-3.82 Plg=16 Azm=330 Best Double Couple:Mo=3.8*10**24 NP1:Strike=76 Dip=30 Slip=112 NP2:Strike=231 Dip=62 Slip=78
From the USGS event page for usp00030g3. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
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 2.7 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.593 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14549 days ago · 33 km deep · 95 km away
- 4.692 km WSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14535 days ago · 121 km deep · 66 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00030g3 (also filed as gcmtb112986a, gcmt19861129165412, iscgem482580). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 4:15 AM UTC.