Tonga earthquakes

M4.6 earthquake Tonga

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck in Tonga on Wed, Dec 5, 2018, 5:19 PM GMT+14 (03:19 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.3 119 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Apia forecastMore in Tonga

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), light
Local time
UTC
2018-12-05 03:19:04 UTC
Depth
10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.126° S, 173.114° 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 6.7 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.15
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
109°
Stations used
22

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.7119 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2852 days ago · 10 km deep · 7 km away
  2. 4.5106 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2835 days ago · 36 km deep · 34 km away
  3. 5.1104 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2812 days ago · 10 km deep · 25 km away · felt by 2
  4. 4.5100 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2812 days ago · 9 km deep · 28 km away
  5. 4.4116 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2811 days ago · 10 km deep · 28 km away
  6. 4.9117 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2806 days ago · 10 km deep · 3 km away
  7. 5.0100 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2804 days ago · 10 km deep · 28 km away
  8. 4.934 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2803 days ago · 35 km deep · 83 km away
  9. 5.059 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2803 days ago · 93 km deep · 63 km away
  10. 5.3119 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2798 days ago · 10 km deep · 12 km away

Before

  1. 4.795 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 2856 days ago · 10 km deep · 79 km away
  2. 4.3141 km SSW of Gataivai, Samoa · 2867 days ago · 10 km deep · 29 km away
  3. 5.189 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2869 days ago · 10 km deep · 34 km away
  4. 4.539 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2877 days ago · 51 km deep · 80 km away
  5. 5.092 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2881 days ago · 10 km deep · 26 km away
  6. 4.9130 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2883 days ago · 10 km deep · 28 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us2000isqu. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 8:28 AM UTC.