Tonga earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 54 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 54 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, Mar 22, 2016, 11:50 AM GMT+14 (21:50 UTC), 81 km (50 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.6 64 km N 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
2016-03-21 21:50:50 UTC
Depth
81.3 km (50.5 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
15.647° S, 174.191° 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 12.3 km horizontally, 7.1 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.12
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
77°
Stations used
27

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 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.664 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 3844 days ago · 51 km deep · 44 km away
  2. 4.1120 km W of Hihifo, Tonga · 3841 days ago · 321 km deep · 81 km away
  3. 4.594 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 3838 days ago · 17 km deep · 81 km away
  4. 4.554 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3838 days ago · 81 km deep · 85 km away
  5. 4.694 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3834 days ago · 77 km deep · 59 km away
  6. 4.43 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3820 days ago · 114 km deep · 57 km away
  7. 4.524 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3804 days ago · 71 km deep · 51 km away
  8. 4.225 km WSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3800 days ago · 83 km deep · 45 km away
  9. 4.439 km WSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3798 days ago · 139 km deep · 51 km away
  10. 4.6104 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3790 days ago · 23 km deep · 98 km away

Before

  1. 4.521 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3858 days ago · 107 km deep · 51 km away
  2. 4.154 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3860 days ago · 94 km deep · 84 km away
  3. 4.567 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3864 days ago · 168 km deep · 13 km away
  4. 4.454 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3873 days ago · 184 km deep · 22 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20005c8w. Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 6:33 AM UTC.