Tonga earthquakes

M4.6 earthquake 116 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 116 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga on Mon, May 16, 2016, 12:14 PM GMT+13 (23:14 UTC), 153 km (95 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.2 105 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.6 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2016-05-15 23:14:44 UTC
Depth
152.8 km (94.9 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
16.423° S, 172.824° W
Region
Tonga
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Did You Feel It? map: shaking reported by the public
Shaking reported by the public, by area. Map: USGS Did You Feel It?

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 10.0 km horizontally, 10.0 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.11
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
87°
Stations used
35

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.4124 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3784 days ago · 45 km deep · 65 km away
  2. 4.688 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 3777 days ago · 35 km deep · 48 km away
  3. 4.597 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 3774 days ago · 18 km deep · 35 km away
  4. 4.6151 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3773 days ago · 44 km deep · 45 km away
  5. 4.496 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3769 days ago · 10 km deep · 85 km away
  6. 5.2105 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3768 days ago · 40 km deep · 91 km away
  7. 4.563 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 3757 days ago · 47 km deep · 96 km away

Before

  1. 4.596 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3799 days ago · 35 km deep · 20 km away
  2. 4.790 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3800 days ago · 10 km deep · 29 km away
  3. 4.693 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3814 days ago · 10 km deep · 68 km away
  4. 4.7180 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3816 days ago · 10 km deep · 68 km away
  5. 4.463 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3820 days ago · 10 km deep · 56 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10005ixl. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 7:05 PM UTC.