M4.9 earthquake 119 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 119 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, Mar 17, 1987, 7:28 PM GMT-11 (06:28 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 78 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.9 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-03-18 06:28:30 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.429° S, 172.823° 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 1.9 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.7150 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14431 days ago · 33 km deep · 31 km away
- 4.6119 km SSW of Lotofag?, Samoa · 14418 days ago · 33 km deep · 72 km away
- 4.8129 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14404 days ago · 33 km deep · 48 km away
- 5.378 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14399 days ago · 33 km deep · 65 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00033dj. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 6:41 AM UTC.