M4.5 earthquake 54 km SSW of Pangai, Tonga
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 54 km SSW of Pangai, Tonga on Sat, Dec 16, 2006, 11:28 AM GMT+13 (22:28 UTC), 35 km (22 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 42 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, 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
- 2006-12-15 22:28:17 UTC
- Depth
- 35.0 km (21.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.280° S, 174.536° 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 usp000f09m. 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
- 249°, poorly surrounded by stations
- Stations used
- 8
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 15 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.542 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7231 days ago · 24 km deep · 100 km away
- 4.2116 km NNW of Nuku‘alofa, Tonga · 7231 days ago · 188 km deep · 98 km away
- 4.065 km ENE of Kolonga, Tonga · 7231 days ago · 10 km deep · 73 km away
- 5.485 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7229 days ago · 10 km deep · 85 km away
- 4.457 km NW of Pangai, Tonga · 7228 days ago · 25 km deep · 94 km away
- 4.785 km S of Pangai, Tonga · 7224 days ago · 15 km deep · 36 km away
- 4.4Tonga · 7220 days ago · 35 km deep · 48 km away
- 4.6101 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7220 days ago · 45 km deep · 68 km away
- 4.573 km NE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7217 days ago · 10 km deep · 75 km away
- 5.177 km ENE of Kolonga, Tonga · 7211 days ago · 33 km deep · 63 km away
- 4.4108 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7199 days ago · 9 km deep · 75 km away
- 4.935 km NNW of Kolonga, Tonga · 7196 days ago · 33 km deep · 87 km away
- 5.114 km WSW of Pangai, Tonga · 7191 days ago · 44 km deep · 46 km away
- 4.464 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7187 days ago · 10 km deep · 94 km away
- 4.930 km NE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 7177 days ago · 10 km deep · 99 km away
Before
- 5.052 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7239 days ago · 35 km deep · 41 km away
- 5.161 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7240 days ago · 10 km deep · 50 km away
- 4.1112 km N of Nuku‘alofa, Tonga · 7246 days ago · 35 km deep · 92 km away
- 5.09 km SE of Pangai, Tonga · 7254 days ago · 10 km deep · 52 km away
- 5.129 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 7260 days ago · 70 km deep · 38 km away
- 4.430 km ENE of Pangai, Tonga · 7262 days ago · 57 km deep · 76 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000f09m. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 8:42 AM UTC.