M5.6 earthquake 80 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 80 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Dec 9, 1987, 10:24 PM GMT-11 (09:24 UTC), 33 km (21 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
- 5.6 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-12-10 09:24:46 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.500° S, 173.215° 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 2.6 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.251 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14137 days ago · 162 km deep · 48 km away
- 6.075 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14124 days ago · 106 km deep · 99 km away
- 4.975 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14122 days ago · 63 km deep · 99 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003b56 (also filed as gcmtb121087b, gcmt19871210092445, iscgem450277). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 10:42 PM UTC.