Tonga earthquakes

M4.8 earthquake 31 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 31 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Aug 15, 2020, 12:50 AM GMT+13 (11:50 UTC), 38 km (24 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.6 79 km NNW 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.

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
4.8 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2020-08-14 11:50:48 UTC
Depth
38.3 km (23.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.682° S, 173.701° W
Region
Tonga
Felt reports
1
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

1 person reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, weak shaking.

Did You Feel It? map: shaking reported by the public
Shaking reported by the public, by area. Map: USGS Did You Feel It?

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 10.8 km horizontally, 6.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.04
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
77°
Stations used
58

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 19 in the 60 days after this one and 11 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.8111 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2242 days ago · 10 km deep · 82 km away
  2. 4.6111 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2241 days ago · 10 km deep · 81 km away
  3. 4.885 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2240 days ago · 10 km deep · 93 km away
  4. 4.771 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2234 days ago · 10 km deep · 78 km away
  5. 4.686 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2233 days ago · 10 km deep · 91 km away
  6. 4.5108 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2233 days ago · 10 km deep · 93 km away
  7. 5.679 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2232 days ago · 10 km deep · 60 km away
  8. 4.570 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2232 days ago · 10 km deep · 78 km away
  9. 4.7102 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2227 days ago · 10 km deep · 71 km away
  10. 4.546 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2223 days ago · 59 km deep · 79 km away
  11. 4.181 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2221 days ago · 10 km deep · 52 km away
  12. 5.4123 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2218 days ago · 25 km deep · 96 km away · felt by 2
  13. 4.7109 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2211 days ago · 10 km deep · 85 km away
  14. 4.0121 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2209 days ago · 35 km deep · 90 km away
  15. 4.7106 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2209 days ago · 20 km deep · 75 km away
  16. 4.377 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2206 days ago · 13 km deep · 82 km away
  17. 4.462 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2204 days ago · 77 km deep · 94 km away
  18. 4.3108 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2201 days ago · 10 km deep · 77 km away
  19. 5.193 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2196 days ago · 10 km deep · 70 km away

Before

  1. 4.6126 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2243 days ago · 10 km deep · 96 km away · felt by 1
  2. 4.5Tonga · 2246 days ago · 104 km deep · 39 km away
  3. 4.4110 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2247 days ago · 10 km deep · 80 km away
  4. 4.4115 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2248 days ago · 10 km deep · 87 km away
  5. 4.550 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2255 days ago · 116 km deep · 78 km away
  6. 4.6111 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2256 days ago · 10 km deep · 83 km away
  7. 4.6113 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2265 days ago · 10 km deep · 85 km away
  8. 4.424 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2266 days ago · 115 km deep · 42 km away
  9. 4.4112 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2266 days ago · 10 km deep · 82 km away
  10. 4.692 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2267 days ago · 10 km deep · 96 km away
  11. 4.399 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2269 days ago · 10 km deep · 68 km away

Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000bemn. Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 4:38 AM UTC.