Tonga earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 102 km E of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 102 km E of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Dec 16, 2016, 7:57 PM GMT+14 (05:57 UTC), 31 km (19 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.4 111 km NE 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
4.5 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2016-12-16 05:57:52 UTC
Depth
30.7 km (19.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.970° S, 172.841° 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 11.6 km horizontally, 7.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.14
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
120°
Stations used
17

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.454 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 3572 days ago · 33 km deep · 48 km away
  2. 4.3110 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3570 days ago · 64 km deep · 85 km away
  3. 4.3143 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 3565 days ago · 10 km deep · 48 km away
  4. 4.393 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3563 days ago · 35 km deep · 83 km away
  5. 4.828 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3545 days ago · 82 km deep · 85 km away
  6. 5.096 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3541 days ago · 37 km deep · 43 km away
  7. 4.1118 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3535 days ago · 130 km deep · 66 km away
  8. 5.4111 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3534 days ago · 37 km deep · 86 km away · felt by 4
  9. 4.689 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3524 days ago · 36 km deep · 30 km away
  10. 4.487 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3519 days ago · 10 km deep · 57 km away

Before

  1. 4.7116 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3603 days ago · 39 km deep · 76 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10007m9w. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 6:23 AM UTC.