Tonga earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 174 km SW of Vaini, Tonga

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 174 km SW of Vaini, Tonga on Wed, Oct 22, 1986, 7:27 PM GMT+13 (06:27 UTC), 390 km (242 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M7.2 157 km WSW of Haveluloto, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Nuku‘alofa forecastMore in Tonga

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Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.5 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1986-10-22 06:27:45 UTC
Depth
389.8 km (242.2 mi), deep
Epicenter
22.303° S, 176.375° 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 1.5 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002z7h. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 11:30 PM UTC.