M4.8 earthquake 156 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 156 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga on Mon, Feb 17, 1986, 5:29 AM GMT-12 (17:29 UTC), 125 km (78 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.8 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, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1986-02-17 17:29:49 UTC
- Depth
- 125.0 km (77.7 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 17.439° S, 174.742° 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
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.2137 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14816 days ago · 110 km deep · 57 km away
- 5.8Tonga · 14796 days ago · 33 km deep · 33 km away
- 4.6138 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14791 days ago · 33 km deep · 54 km away
- 4.4113 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 14789 days ago · 210 km deep · 62 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002r2t. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 4:37 AM UTC.