M4.4 earthquake 83 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck 83 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Jan 2, 1988, 9:04 AM GMT-11 (20:04 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.2 26 km S of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.4 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1988-01-02 20:04:02 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.531° S, 173.293° 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 1.5 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.384 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14126 days ago · 118 km deep · 89 km away
- 6.226 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 14120 days ago · 126 km deep · 68 km away
- 4.7156 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14118 days ago · 34 km deep · 89 km away
- 5.2109 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 14106 days ago · 63 km deep · 97 km away
- 4.549 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 14106 days ago · 33 km deep · 71 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003brp. Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 2:38 AM UTC.