M4.8 earthquake 196 km W of Pangai, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 196 km W of Pangai, Tonga on Thu, Jan 8, 1987, 2:58 AM GMT+13 (13:58 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.5 231 km NW of Nuku‘alofa, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.8 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-01-07 13:58:18 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 19.568° S, 176.210° 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 1.8 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.6197 km NW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 14509 days ago · 297 km deep · 66 km away
- 6.5231 km NW of Nuku‘alofa, Tonga · 14508 days ago · 33 km deep · 36 km away
- 4.8225 km NW of Nuku‘alofa, Tonga · 14508 days ago · 33 km deep · 37 km away
- 5.2218 km W of Pangai, Tonga · 14507 days ago · 33 km deep · 22 km away
- 5.3143 km WNW of Pangai, Tonga · 14498 days ago · 242 km deep · 58 km away
- 5.6181 km NW of Pangai, Tonga · 14495 days ago · 269 km deep · 96 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00031fk. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 5:02 AM UTC.