M4.2 earthquake 144 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 144 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga on Fri, Sep 18, 2020, 3:46 PM GMT-12 (03:46 UTC), 31 km (19 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.8 148 km N of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.2 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 2020-09-19 03:46:14 UTC
- Depth
- 30.8 km (19.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.578° S, 173.209° 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 7.7 km horizontally, 7.9 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.23
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 92°
- Stations used
- 12
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.8148 km N of Neiafu, Tonga · 2177 days ago · 54 km deep · 75 km away
- 4.1111 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2175 days ago · 76 km deep · 79 km away
- 4.3109 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2149 days ago · 32 km deep · 87 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000c0hi. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 10:23 PM UTC.