M4.9 earthquake 202 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 202 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga on Thu, Oct 15, 1987, 3:37 PM GMT-11 (02:37 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
- 4.9 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-10-16 02:37:32 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.568° S, 172.443° 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: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.2166 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14195 days ago · 33 km deep · 46 km away
- 5.5150 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14183 days ago · 29 km deep · 54 km away
Before
- 5.3243 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14238 days ago · 33 km deep · 43 km away
- 4.4195 km E of Neiafu, Tonga · 14238 days ago · 33 km deep · 98 km away
- 5.1180 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14239 days ago · 33 km deep · 36 km away
- 5.0137 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14239 days ago · 33 km deep · 68 km away
- 4.9182 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14239 days ago · 33 km deep · 23 km away
- 4.7195 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14239 days ago · 33 km deep · 53 km away
- 4.7206 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14239 days ago · 38 km deep · 18 km away
- 7.3201 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14239 days ago · 16 km deep · 47 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00039a4. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 7:35 AM UTC.