Tonga earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 67 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 67 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Mon, May 21, 2018, 9:29 AM GMT+13 (20:29 UTC), 35 km (22 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.8 141 km SSW of Gataivai, Samoa. 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
2018-05-20 20:29:21 UTC
Depth
35.0 km (21.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.461° S, 173.427° 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 10.7 km horizontally, 8.3 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.09
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
107°
Stations used
32

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 17 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.7140 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3057 days ago · 10 km deep · 86 km away
  2. 4.599 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3045 days ago · 33 km deep · 35 km away
  3. 5.8141 km SSW of Gataivai, Samoa · 3044 days ago · 10 km deep · 80 km away
  4. 5.4133 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3044 days ago · 10 km deep · 66 km away
  5. 4.698 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 3043 days ago · 35 km deep · 93 km away
  6. 4.586 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3042 days ago · 10 km deep · 23 km away
  7. 5.0Samoa Islands region · 3038 days ago · 10 km deep · 66 km away
  8. 4.677 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3036 days ago · 10 km deep · 98 km away
  9. 4.378 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3036 days ago · 39 km deep · 90 km away
  10. 4.5129 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3035 days ago · 25 km deep · 65 km away
  11. 4.4119 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 3032 days ago · 31 km deep · 66 km away
  12. 5.3117 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3031 days ago · 55 km deep · 63 km away · felt by 9
  13. 4.9124 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3021 days ago · 10 km deep · 83 km away
  14. 4.683 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3017 days ago · 35 km deep · 28 km away
  15. 4.878 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3009 days ago · 10 km deep · 11 km away · felt by 1
  16. 4.256 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3006 days ago · 90 km deep · 15 km away
  17. 4.5138 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa · 3005 days ago · 39 km deep · 92 km away

Before

  1. 5.2130 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3059 days ago · 10 km deep · 72 km away
  2. 4.663 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3066 days ago · 10 km deep · 90 km away
  3. 4.680 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 3074 days ago · 10 km deep · 20 km away
  4. 4.563 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 3085 days ago · 55 km deep · 32 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us1000e92h. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 5:14 PM UTC.