Tonga earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 76 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 76 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sun, Nov 29, 1987, 2:27 PM GMT-11 (01:27 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.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.5 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1987-11-30 01:27:20 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
16.247° S, 173.148° 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: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.488 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14183 days ago · 33 km deep · 12 km away
  2. 4.8123 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14183 days ago · 33 km deep · 50 km away
  3. 5.5145 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14176 days ago · 33 km deep · 70 km away
  4. 5.680 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14172 days ago · 33 km deep · 83 km away
  5. 5.4163 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14158 days ago · 26 km deep · 90 km away
  6. 5.078 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14149 days ago · 33 km deep · 30 km away
  7. 4.483 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14149 days ago · 33 km deep · 35 km away
  8. 5.251 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14135 days ago · 162 km deep · 99 km away

Before

  1. 4.6140 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14201 days ago · 98 km deep · 65 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003apd. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 7:58 PM UTC.