M5.1 earthquake 104 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 104 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Feb 20, 1988, 9:34 PM GMT-11 (08:34 UTC), 33 km (21 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
- 5.1 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1988-02-21 08:34:18 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.181° S, 173.245° 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 2.1 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.549 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 14105 days ago · 33 km deep · 80 km away
- 5.095 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 14090 days ago · 33 km deep · 97 km away
- 6.395 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14064 days ago · 33 km deep · 34 km away
- 4.993 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14064 days ago · 33 km deep · 39 km away
- 5.0137 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14064 days ago · 33 km deep · 57 km away
- 5.184 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14063 days ago · 33 km deep · 26 km away
- 4.8104 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 14059 days ago · 81 km deep · 12 km away
- 5.1109 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa · 14050 days ago · 33 km deep · 76 km away
- 4.7Samoa Islands region · 14046 days ago · 33 km deep · 62 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003d7g. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 7:58 AM UTC.