M4.9 earthquake 160 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 160 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga on Sun, Dec 20, 2020, 3:42 PM GMT-12 (03:42 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
- 4.9 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2020-12-21 03:42:57 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.765° S, 172.777° 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 8.0 km horizontally, 1.4 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.10
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 68°
- Stations used
- 42
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.9190 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2093 days ago · 10 km deep · 32 km away
- 5.0189 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2092 days ago · 10 km deep · 31 km away
- 4.9180 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2067 days ago · 10 km deep · 89 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000cstt. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 4:18 AM UTC.