Tonga earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 41 km W of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 41 km W of Hihifo, Tonga on Thu, Dec 14, 2017, 6:28 PM GMT+14 (04:28 UTC), 137 km (85 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.9 73 km SW 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
2017-12-14 04:28:42 UTC
Depth
136.9 km (85.1 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
15.995° S, 174.179° 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 16.8 km horizontally, 8.7 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.16
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
136°
Stations used
13

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.648 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3213 days ago · 10 km deep · 71 km away
  2. 4.520 km WSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3206 days ago · 127 km deep · 23 km away
  3. 4.443 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3203 days ago · 118 km deep · 39 km away
  4. 4.222 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3197 days ago · 129 km deep · 34 km away
  5. 4.973 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3185 days ago · 147 km deep · 49 km away
  6. 4.541 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3183 days ago · 35 km deep · 76 km away
  7. 4.2119 km W of Hihifo, Tonga · 3180 days ago · 279 km deep · 78 km away
  8. 4.3Tonga · 3175 days ago · 117 km deep · 13 km away
  9. 4.4122 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3168 days ago · 240 km deep · 90 km away

Before

  1. 5.721 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3219 days ago · 155 km deep · 31 km away · felt by 1
  2. 4.294 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3221 days ago · 10 km deep · 99 km away
  3. 4.560 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 3222 days ago · 52 km deep · 77 km away
  4. 4.595 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3230 days ago · 200 km deep · 91 km away
  5. 4.970 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 3232 days ago · 103 km deep · 73 km away
  6. 4.732 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3242 days ago · 99 km deep · 28 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us1000bubp. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 9:59 AM UTC.