Tonga earthquakes

M4.6 earthquake 166 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 166 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga on Sat, Jan 2, 2016, 7:36 PM GMT-12 (07:36 UTC), 22 km (14 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.8 127 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

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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
2016-01-03 07:36:08 UTC
Depth
22.2 km (13.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
17.488° S, 174.988° 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 6.8 km horizontally, 4.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.10
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
52°
Stations used
54

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.5134 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 3927 days ago · 66 km deep · 79 km away
  2. 4.5129 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 3899 days ago · 149 km deep · 38 km away
  3. 4.3108 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 3891 days ago · 200 km deep · 67 km away
  4. 4.3190 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 3888 days ago · 258 km deep · 26 km away
  5. 4.8127 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 3884 days ago · 247 km deep · 67 km away

Before

  1. 5.0111 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 3941 days ago · 198 km deep · 75 km away
  2. 4.5117 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 3951 days ago · 167 km deep · 74 km away
  3. 5.2118 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 3955 days ago · 10 km deep · 67 km away
  4. 4.2169 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 3957 days ago · 209 km deep · 33 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10004dz3 (also filed as gcmt20160103073608). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 3:38 AM UTC.