M4.2 earthquake 184 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 184 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga on Mon, Aug 24, 1987, 9:12 PM GMT-11 (08:12 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 243 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.2 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-08-25 08:12:18 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.007° S, 172.454° 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 1.5 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.7206 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14241 days ago · 38 km deep · 47 km away
- 4.9182 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14241 days ago · 33 km deep · 84 km away
- 5.1180 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14241 days ago · 33 km deep · 98 km away
- 5.3243 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14240 days ago · 33 km deep · 65 km away
- 4.9202 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14232 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 usp00037td. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 3:57 PM UTC.