M4.8 earthquake Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck in Tonga on Fri, Oct 16, 1987, 11:25 PM GMT+13 (10:25 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.0 92 km S of ‘Ohonua, 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
- 1987-10-16 10:25:43 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 21.620° S, 174.077° 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: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00039ae. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 7:11 PM UTC.