Tonga earthquakes

M4.6 earthquake 111 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 111 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, Dec 12, 2017, 8:38 PM GMT+14 (06:38 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.5 113 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
4.6 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2017-12-12 06:38:12 UTC
Depth
10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.172° S, 173.143° 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 9.2 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.12
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
95°
Stations used
27

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 11 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.9110 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3212 days ago · 10 km deep · 18 km away
  2. 4.7103 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3208 days ago · 10 km deep · 37 km away
  3. 5.5113 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3204 days ago · 38 km deep · 31 km away
  4. 4.5126 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3202 days ago · 35 km deep · 15 km away
  5. 4.541 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3183 days ago · 35 km deep · 71 km away
  6. 5.1146 km SSW of Gataivai, Samoa · 3179 days ago · 10 km deep · 45 km away
  7. 4.7103 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3179 days ago · 10 km deep · 41 km away
  8. 4.8100 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3178 days ago · 38 km deep · 11 km away
  9. 4.4115 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3177 days ago · 10 km deep · 4 km away
  10. 4.4Samoa Islands region · 3169 days ago · 10 km deep · 59 km away
  11. 5.1103 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3156 days ago · 10 km deep · 25 km away

Before

  1. 4.9112 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3216 days ago · 10 km deep · 21 km away
  2. 4.997 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3218 days ago · 11 km deep · 14 km away
  3. 5.382 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3220 days ago · 10 km deep · 37 km away · felt by 1
  4. 4.294 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3221 days ago · 10 km deep · 91 km away
  5. 4.560 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 3222 days ago · 52 km deep · 76 km away
  6. 4.6107 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3228 days ago · 10 km deep · 47 km away
  7. 4.9102 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3245 days ago · 17 km deep · 29 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us1000bt4b. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 10:10 AM UTC.