M4.9 earthquake 88 km W of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 88 km W of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Dec 4, 1987, 9:37 AM GMT-11 (20:37 UTC), 241 km (150 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.0 75 km NNW 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, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-12-04 20:37:55 UTC
- Depth
- 241.0 km (149.8 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 15.958° S, 174.624° 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
- FROM_LOCATION
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003aye. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 1:29 AM UTC.