M4.2 earthquake 64 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 64 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Dec 16, 2006, 11:27 AM GMT-11 (22:27 UTC), 35 km (22 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.9 66 km SSE 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
- 4.2 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2006-12-16 22:27:14 UTC
- Depth
- 35.0 km (21.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.280° S, 173.299° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
no people dead or missing; no people injured; no buildings damaged or destroyed
From the USGS event page for usp000f0cf. 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
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
- Station coverage gap
- 185°, poorly surrounded by stations
- Stations used
- 20
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 11 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.297 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 7226 days ago · 10 km deep · 93 km away
- 4.8102 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 7226 days ago · 35 km deep · 48 km away
- 4.839 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 7222 days ago · 142 km deep · 65 km away
- 4.287 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 7216 days ago · 31 km deep · 98 km away
- 4.766 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 7211 days ago · 15 km deep · 25 km away
- 4.466 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 7210 days ago · 81 km deep · 90 km away
- 4.871 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 7206 days ago · 10 km deep · 42 km away
- 4.738 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 7201 days ago · 77 km deep · 48 km away
- 4.553 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 7201 days ago · 35 km deep · 26 km away
- 4.966 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 7195 days ago · 92 km deep · 39 km away
- 4.540 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 7178 days ago · 156 km deep · 76 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000f0cf. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 11:05 PM UTC.