Tonga earthquakes

M4.6 earthquake 115 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 115 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Dec 16, 2016, 9:13 AM GMT+14 (19:13 UTC), 23 km (14 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.5 109 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
4.6 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2016-12-15 19:13:57 UTC
Depth
22.8 km (14.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
14.938° S, 173.555° 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.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 8.1 km horizontally, 6.1 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.18
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
125°
Stations used
14

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.5Tonga · 3576 days ago · 10 km deep · 62 km away
  2. 4.5104 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3558 days ago · 10 km deep · 15 km away
  3. 4.576 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3557 days ago · 10 km deep · 65 km away
  4. 4.689 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3557 days ago · 10 km deep · 60 km away
  5. 4.288 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3551 days ago · 381 km deep · 54 km away
  6. 5.5109 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3549 days ago · 5 km deep · 36 km away · felt by 4
  7. 4.828 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3545 days ago · 82 km deep · 93 km away
  8. 4.7101 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3545 days ago · 24 km deep · 23 km away
  9. 5.096 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3542 days ago · 37 km deep · 97 km away
  10. 5.4111 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3535 days ago · 37 km deep · 61 km away · felt by 4

Before

  1. 4.3140 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3591 days ago · 10 km deep · 54 km away
  2. 4.7116 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3604 days ago · 39 km deep · 76 km away
  3. 4.7123 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 3608 days ago · 14 km deep · 12 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10007m93. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 2:06 PM UTC.