M5.0 earthquake 241 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 241 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga on Thu, Feb 18, 1988, 12:19 AM GMT-11 (11:19 UTC), 39 km (24 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 226 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1988-02-18 11:19:38 UTC
- Depth
- 38.8 km (24.1 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.228° S, 171.960° 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
- CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.5226 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14097 days ago · 33 km deep · 72 km away
- 5.3194 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 14053 days ago · 37 km deep · 82 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003d4m. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 7:37 PM UTC.