M4.5 earthquake 199 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 199 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga on Fri, Dec 18, 2020, 1:20 PM GMT-11 (00:20 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.0 189 km NE 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
- 4.5 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2020-12-19 00:20:10 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.689° S, 172.394° 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 7.0 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.24
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 110°
- Stations used
- 13
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.9160 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2110 days ago · 10 km deep · 41 km away
- 4.9190 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2092 days ago · 10 km deep · 32 km away
- 5.0189 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2092 days ago · 10 km deep · 12 km away
- 4.9180 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2066 days ago · 10 km deep · 77 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000d26l. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 6:30 AM UTC.