M5.2 earthquake 218 km W of Pangai, Tonga
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 218 km W of Pangai, Tonga on Sat, Jan 10, 1987, 3:53 PM GMT+13 (02:53 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 143 km WNW of Pangai, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.2 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-01-10 02:53:15 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 19.498° S, 176.409° 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 2.2 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
- 4.8225 km NW of Nuku‘alofa, Tonga · 14510 days ago · 33 km deep · 17 km away
- 6.5231 km NW of Nuku‘alofa, Tonga · 14510 days ago · 33 km deep · 14 km away
- 4.6197 km NW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 14511 days ago · 297 km deep · 61 km away
- 4.8196 km W of Pangai, Tonga · 14511 days ago · 33 km deep · 22 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00031jb. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:09 PM UTC.