M5.2 earthquake 109 km E of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 109 km E of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Feb 20, 1988, 6:20 PM GMT-11 (05:20 UTC), 63 km (39 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.3 95 km NE 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 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1988-02-21 05:20:17 UTC
- Depth
- 63.3 km (39.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.811° S, 172.780° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.2 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.13 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.1 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 10S, 19C Centroid Location: Origin Time 05:20:20.0 0.8 Lat 15.61S 0.11 Lon 172.81W 0.10 Dep 42.5 6.1 Half-duration 1.5 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**16 Nm Mrr=-4.23 0.41 Mtt=2.20 0.48 Mff=2.02 0.65 Mrt=-2.01 0.67 Mrf=3.72 0.82 Mtf=-2.82 0.56 Principal Axes: (T) Val=6.48 Plg=21 Azm=228 (N) Val=-0.46 Plg=10 Azm=322 (P) Val=-6.02 Plg=66 Azm=77 Best Double Couple:Mo=6.3*10**16 NP1:Strike=300 Dip=26 Slip=-115 NP2:Strike=147 Dip=67 Slip=-79
From the USGS event page for usp0003d7a. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
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 2.2 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.1104 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14103 days ago · 33 km deep · 86 km away
- 4.549 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 14103 days ago · 33 km deep · 60 km away
- 5.095 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 14088 days ago · 33 km deep · 23 km away
- 6.395 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14062 days ago · 33 km deep · 52 km away
- 4.993 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14062 days ago · 33 km deep · 47 km away
- 5.0137 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14062 days ago · 33 km deep · 60 km away
- 5.184 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14062 days ago · 33 km deep · 65 km away
- 4.8104 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14058 days ago · 81 km deep · 74 km away
- 4.9174 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 14057 days ago · 33 km deep · 69 km away
- 4.7Samoa Islands region · 14044 days ago · 33 km deep · 25 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003d7a (also filed as gcmtb022188a, gcmt19880221052013, iscgem446135). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 2:02 PM UTC.