M4.8 earthquake 249 km SW of Haveluloto, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 249 km SW of Haveluloto, Tonga on Sat, Dec 12, 1987, 9:11 PM GMT+13 (08:11 UTC), 252 km (157 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.6 299 km SW of Vaini, 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
- 1987-12-12 08:11:08 UTC
- Depth
- 252.2 km (156.7 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 22.528° S, 177.124° 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 1.8 and up: 2 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 usp0003b7f. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 9:34 AM UTC.