M5.9 earthquake 139 km W of Pangai, Tonga
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 139 km W of Pangai, Tonga on Sat, Dec 26, 1987, 11:56 AM GMT+13 (22:56 UTC), 196 km (122 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.9 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-12-25 22:56:48 UTC
- Depth
- 196.0 km (121.8 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 19.830° S, 175.682° 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 2.9 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003bjc (also filed as gcmtb122587b, gcmt19871225225649, iscgem451547). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 10:35 PM UTC.