M4.2 earthquake 97 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 97 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Dec 22, 2006, 10:20 AM GMT-11 (21:20 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.1 68 km NNE 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
- 2006-12-22 21:20:16 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.488° S, 173.025° 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 usp000f0t6. 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
- 143°
- Stations used
- 10
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.8102 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 7226 days ago · 35 km deep · 77 km away
- 4.287 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 7215 days ago · 31 km deep · 22 km away
- 4.766 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 7210 days ago · 15 km deep · 68 km away
- 4.871 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 7206 days ago · 10 km deep · 51 km away
- 4.367 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 7202 days ago · 10 km deep · 98 km away
- 5.168 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 7167 days ago · 35 km deep · 65 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000f0t6. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 1:35 PM UTC.