M4.5 earthquake 31 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 31 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga on Mon, Dec 29, 1986, 6:34 PM GMT+13 (05:34 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.0 71 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.5 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1986-12-29 05:34:42 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 19.956° S, 174.090° 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 1.5 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 6.071 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 14519 days ago · 24 km deep · 49 km away
- 4.560 km N of Pangai, Tonga · 14507 days ago · 117 km deep · 81 km away
- 4.886 km SE of Pangai, Tonga · 14461 days ago · 33 km deep · 56 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000318a. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 4:05 AM UTC.