M5.4 earthquake 68 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 68 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Oct 30, 1987, 3:55 AM GMT-11 (14:55 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.6 80 km NE 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
- 5.4 (Ms, surface-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-10-30 14:55:44 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.610° S, 173.262° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.4 | Ms, surface-wave | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · 6 stations |
| 5.56 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.38 |
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 2.4 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.576 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14186 days ago · 33 km deep · 72 km away
- 5.488 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14186 days ago · 33 km deep · 79 km away
- 5.680 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14176 days ago · 33 km deep · 13 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00039ru (also filed as iscgem456546). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 11:46 PM UTC.