M4.8 earthquake 43 km N of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 43 km N of Neiafu, Tonga on Fri, Feb 28, 1986, 5:36 PM GMT+13 (04:36 UTC), 33 km (21 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), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1986-02-28 04:36:27 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 18.264° S, 173.911° 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 1.8 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.8Tonga · 14787 days ago · 33 km deep · 96 km away
- 4.4113 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 14780 days ago · 210 km deep · 99 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002rcg. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:08 AM UTC.