Tonga earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 134 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 134 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, May 21, 2016, 8:45 PM GMT+13 (07:45 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.0 115 km NNE 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
4.9 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2016-05-21 07:45:45 UTC
Depth
10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.142° S, 172.860° 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 6.5 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.07
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
60°
Stations used
86

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 11 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.688 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 3777 days ago · 35 km deep · 98 km away
  2. 4.4100 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3776 days ago · 10 km deep · 43 km away
  3. 5.487 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3775 days ago · 25 km deep · 52 km away
  4. 4.496 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3769 days ago · 10 km deep · 59 km away
  5. 4.8114 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3768 days ago · 22 km deep · 43 km away
  6. 4.5103 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3765 days ago · 10 km deep · 32 km away
  7. 4.687 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3747 days ago · 20 km deep · 47 km away
  8. 4.6135 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3746 days ago · 30 km deep · 45 km away
  9. 4.7141 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3746 days ago · 40 km deep · 23 km away
  10. 5.8142 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3738 days ago · 8 km deep · 13 km away
  11. 6.0115 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3738 days ago · 8 km deep · 37 km away

Before

  1. 4.6104 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3789 days ago · 23 km deep · 71 km away
  2. 4.3147 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 3793 days ago · 10 km deep · 92 km away
  3. 4.5108 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3801 days ago · 10 km deep · 41 km away
  4. 4.4107 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3802 days ago · 35 km deep · 54 km away
  5. 4.7110 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3810 days ago · 35 km deep · 55 km away
  6. 4.5141 km SSW of Gataivai, Samoa · 3818 days ago · 10 km deep · 24 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10005j3x. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 11:05 PM UTC.