Tonga earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 182 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 182 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga on Tue, Oct 6, 1987, 4:02 AM GMT-12 (16:02 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.0 137 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

More in Tonga

Map

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

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
4.9 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1987-10-06 16:02:41 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
17.760° S, 172.529° 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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.0137 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14231 days ago · 33 km deep · 53 km away
  2. 5.1180 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14231 days ago · 33 km deep · 15 km away
  3. 4.4195 km E of Neiafu, Tonga · 14230 days ago · 33 km deep · 82 km away
  4. 5.3243 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14230 days ago · 33 km deep · 61 km away
  5. 5.0115 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14228 days ago · 33 km deep · 79 km away
  6. 4.9202 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14221 days ago · 33 km deep · 23 km away
  7. 5.2166 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14188 days ago · 33 km deep · 42 km away
  8. 5.5150 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14175 days ago · 29 km deep · 40 km away

Before

  1. 4.7195 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14231 days ago · 33 km deep · 40 km away
  2. 4.7206 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14231 days ago · 38 km deep · 37 km away
  3. 7.3201 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14231 days ago · 16 km deep · 38 km away

Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003913. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 11:34 AM UTC.