M4.9 earthquake 78 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 78 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, Sep 15, 1987, 6:41 PM GMT-11 (05:41 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.4 68 km ENE 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), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-09-16 05:41:25 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.301° S, 173.523° 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: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.087 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14241 days ago · 33 km deep · 10 km away
- 4.865 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 14239 days ago · 33 km deep · 70 km away
- 4.880 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14214 days ago · 33 km deep · 7 km away
- 4.788 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14213 days ago · 33 km deep · 13 km away
- 5.468 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14213 days ago · 33 km deep · 44 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00038ef. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 12:11 AM UTC.