M5.7 earthquake 74 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 74 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, May 29, 1987, 3:59 PM GMT-11 (02:59 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.7 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-05-30 02:59:36 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.322° S, 173.555° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.7 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.72 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.7 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 15S, 40C Centroid Location: Origin Time 02:59:46.1 0.2 Lat 15.00S 0.04 Lon 173.57W 0.03 Dep 58.6 4.2 Half-duration 3.5 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=-0.15 0.09 Mtt=0.85 0.15 Mff=-0.69 0.14 Mrt=-4.48 0.20 Mrf=1.03 0.10 Mtf=0.65 0.11 Principal Axes: (T) Val=4.86 Plg=42 Azm=183 (N) Val=-0.33 Plg=11 Azm=283 (P) Val=-4.54 Plg=46 Azm=25 Best Double Couple:Mo=4.7*10**17 NP1:Strike=203 Dip=12 Slip=-171 NP2:Strike=104 Dip=88 Slip=-79
From the USGS event page for usp00035ck. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
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 2.7 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.097 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 14356 days ago · 33 km deep · 37 km away
- 5.685 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14341 days ago · 33 km deep · 62 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00035ck (also filed as gcmtb053087a, gcmt19870530025933, iscgem468079). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 4:50 AM UTC.