M5.2 earthquake 51 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 51 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Jan 16, 1988, 7:13 PM GMT-11 (06:13 UTC), 162 km (100 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
- 5.2 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1988-01-17 06:13:32 UTC
- Depth
- 161.5 km (100.4 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 15.511° S, 173.664° 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
- FROM_LOCATION
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.0127 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14137 days ago · 33 km deep · 99 km away
- 6.075 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14126 days ago · 106 km deep · 53 km away
- 4.975 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 14123 days ago · 63 km deep · 52 km away
- 6.226 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 14117 days ago · 126 km deep · 78 km away
- 5.1104 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14103 days ago · 33 km deep · 58 km away
- 4.549 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 14103 days ago · 33 km deep · 55 km away
- 5.095 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 14088 days ago · 33 km deep · 97 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003c4c. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 5:21 AM UTC.