M4.6 earthquake 77 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 77 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga on Sun, Sep 17, 2006, 8:36 AM GMT+13 (19:36 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.7 22 km S of Pangai, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.6 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2006-09-16 19:36:49 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.439° S, 174.016° 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 usp000et7f. 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
- 203°, poorly surrounded by stations
- Stations used
- 9
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.541 km ENE of Kolonga, Tonga · 7320 days ago · 10 km deep · 96 km away
- 4.517 km WSW of Pangai, Tonga · 7309 days ago · 25 km deep · 82 km away
- 4.4108 km SE of Pangai, Tonga · 7295 days ago · 35 km deep · 35 km away
- 4.625 km SW of Pangai, Tonga · 7293 days ago · 35 km deep · 79 km away
- 4.722 km S of Pangai, Tonga · 7287 days ago · 35 km deep · 61 km away
- 4.322 km ENE of Pangai, Tonga · 7285 days ago · 3 km deep · 78 km away
Before
- 4.959 km NNE of Kolonga, Tonga · 7326 days ago · 47 km deep · 93 km away
- 4.455 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7330 days ago · 10 km deep · 86 km away
- 4.660 km ENE of Pangai, Tonga · 7340 days ago · 92 km deep · 89 km away
- 4.834 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7346 days ago · 13 km deep · 45 km away
- 4.7115 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7347 days ago · 31 km deep · 98 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000et7f. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 8:16 PM UTC.