M5.3 earthquake 243 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 243 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga on Wed, Oct 7, 1987, 8:21 AM GMT-11 (19:21 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 150 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-10-07 19:21:14 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.446° S, 172.056° 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 2.3 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.9202 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14234 days ago · 33 km deep · 43 km away
- 5.2166 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14200 days ago · 33 km deep · 89 km away
- 5.5150 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14188 days ago · 29 km deep · 97 km away
Before
- 5.1180 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14243 days ago · 33 km deep · 66 km away
- 4.9182 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14243 days ago · 33 km deep · 61 km away
- 4.7195 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14244 days ago · 33 km deep · 67 km away
- 4.7206 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14244 days ago · 38 km deep · 49 km away
- 7.3201 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14244 days ago · 16 km deep · 58 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003927. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 11:56 PM UTC.