M4.5 earthquake 51 km NNE of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 51 km NNE of Neiafu, Tonga on Fri, Dec 15, 2006, 9:02 AM GMT+13 (20:02 UTC), 35 km (22 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.2 133 km NNW 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
- 4.5 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2006-12-14 20:02:02 UTC
- Depth
- 35.0 km (21.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 18.198° S, 173.867° 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 usp000f07d. 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
- 144°
- Stations used
- 13
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.092 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 7217 days ago · 35 km deep · 97 km away
- 4.6124 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 7216 days ago · 55 km deep · 85 km away
- 5.2133 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 7215 days ago · 122 km deep · 96 km away
- 4.6Tonga · 7190 days ago · 118 km deep · 84 km away
- 4.595 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 7189 days ago · 121 km deep · 87 km away
- 4.274 km NNE of Neiafu, Tonga · 7182 days ago · 10 km deep · 29 km away
- 4.4121 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 7176 days ago · 85 km deep · 82 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000f07d. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 5:07 PM UTC.