M5.3 earthquake 78 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 78 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Thu, Apr 30, 1987, 7:46 PM GMT-11 (06:46 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.7 74 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
- 5.3 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-05-01 06:46:37 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.343° S, 173.422° 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 2.3 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.790 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 14390 days ago · 33 km deep · 53 km away
- 5.774 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14368 days ago · 33 km deep · 14 km away
- 5.097 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 14355 days ago · 33 km deep · 50 km away
- 5.685 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14340 days ago · 33 km deep · 49 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00034mk. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 8:01 AM UTC.