Tonga earthquakes

M4.7 earthquake 295 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 295 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga on Tue, Dec 22, 1987, 6:28 AM GMT+13 (17:28 UTC), 452 km (281 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.8 297 km WNW 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
4.7 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1987-12-21 17:28:34 UTC
Depth
451.5 km (280.5 mi), deep
Epicenter
20.572° S, 177.983° 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 1.7 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003bf6. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:31 PM UTC.