Tonga earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 180 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 180 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga on Tue, Oct 6, 1987, 6:11 AM GMT-11 (17:11 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.3 243 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.1 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
1987-10-06 17:11:17 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
17.888° S, 172.475° 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 2.1 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.4195 km E of Neiafu, Tonga · 14231 days ago · 33 km deep · 67 km away
  2. 5.3243 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14230 days ago · 33 km deep · 66 km away
  3. 5.0115 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14228 days ago · 33 km deep · 71 km away
  4. 4.9202 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14222 days ago · 33 km deep · 36 km away
  5. 5.2166 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14188 days ago · 33 km deep · 55 km away
  6. 5.5150 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14176 days ago · 29 km deep · 47 km away

Before

  1. 5.0137 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14231 days ago · 33 km deep · 58 km away
  2. 4.9182 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14231 days ago · 33 km deep · 15 km away
  3. 4.7195 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14232 days ago · 33 km deep · 27 km away
  4. 4.7206 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14232 days ago · 38 km deep · 52 km away
  5. 7.3201 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14232 days ago · 16 km deep · 27 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003919. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:28 PM UTC.