Tonga earthquakes

M4.8 earthquake 100 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 100 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Jan 20, 2018, 9:36 AM GMT+14 (19:36 UTC), 38 km (24 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.1 103 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
4.8 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2018-01-19 19:36:58 UTC
Depth
38.3 km (23.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.245° S, 173.205° 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 10.8 km horizontally, 16.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.28
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
149°
Stations used
13

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.4115 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3177 days ago · 10 km deep · 14 km away
  2. 4.4Samoa Islands region · 3169 days ago · 10 km deep · 61 km away
  3. 5.1103 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3157 days ago · 10 km deep · 23 km away
  4. 4.974 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3149 days ago · 35 km deep · 28 km away
  5. 4.4125 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3137 days ago · 10 km deep · 25 km away
  6. 4.982 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3136 days ago · 36 km deep · 25 km away
  7. 5.093 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3133 days ago · 10 km deep · 41 km away
  8. 4.873 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3129 days ago · 10 km deep · 29 km away
  9. 4.697 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3123 days ago · 10 km deep · 35 km away

Before

  1. 4.7103 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3179 days ago · 10 km deep · 38 km away
  2. 5.1146 km SSW of Gataivai, Samoa · 3179 days ago · 10 km deep · 54 km away
  3. 4.541 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3183 days ago · 35 km deep · 60 km away
  4. 4.222 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 3197 days ago · 129 km deep · 99 km away
  5. 4.5126 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3202 days ago · 35 km deep · 26 km away
  6. 5.5113 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3204 days ago · 38 km deep · 32 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us1000cdm3. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 11:36 AM UTC.