Tonga earthquakes

M4.7 earthquake 103 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 103 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Dec 20, 2017, 7:49 PM GMT+14 (05:49 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
4.7 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2017-12-20 05:49:50 UTC
Depth
10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.075° S, 173.478° 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 7.2 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.15
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
158°
Stations used
17

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.7 and up: 12 in the 60 days after this one and 9 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.5113 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3204 days ago · 38 km deep · 67 km away
  2. 4.443 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3203 days ago · 118 km deep · 91 km away
  3. 4.5126 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3202 days ago · 35 km deep · 44 km away
  4. 4.222 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3197 days ago · 129 km deep · 94 km away
  5. 4.541 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3183 days ago · 35 km deep · 66 km away
  6. 5.1146 km SSW of Gataivai, Samoa · 3179 days ago · 10 km deep · 78 km away
  7. 4.7103 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3179 days ago · 10 km deep · 3 km away
  8. 4.8100 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3178 days ago · 38 km deep · 35 km away
  9. 4.4115 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3176 days ago · 10 km deep · 39 km away
  10. 4.4Samoa Islands region · 3169 days ago · 10 km deep · 96 km away
  11. 5.1103 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3156 days ago · 10 km deep · 58 km away
  12. 4.974 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3149 days ago · 35 km deep · 35 km away

Before

  1. 4.9110 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3212 days ago · 10 km deep · 20 km away
  2. 4.6111 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3216 days ago · 10 km deep · 37 km away
  3. 4.9112 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3216 days ago · 10 km deep · 58 km away
  4. 4.997 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3218 days ago · 11 km deep · 33 km away
  5. 5.382 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3220 days ago · 10 km deep · 23 km away · felt by 1
  6. 4.294 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3221 days ago · 10 km deep · 55 km away
  7. 4.560 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 3222 days ago · 52 km deep · 51 km away
  8. 4.6107 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3228 days ago · 10 km deep · 10 km away
  9. 4.595 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3230 days ago · 200 km deep · 78 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us1000c0p9. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 8:31 AM UTC.