M4.9 earthquake 88 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 88 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga on Fri, Feb 21, 1986, 7:30 PM GMT+13 (06:30 UTC), 47 km (29 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
- 4.9 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1986-02-21 06:30:09 UTC
- Depth
- 46.9 km (29.1 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 18.345° S, 174.759° 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
- FROM_LOCATION
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 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.843 km N of Neiafu, Tonga · 14826 days ago · 33 km deep · 90 km away
- 5.8Tonga · 14797 days ago · 33 km deep · 73 km away
- 4.4113 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 14791 days ago · 210 km deep · 39 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002r62. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 3:21 PM UTC.