M4.5 earthquake 176 km SW of Vaini, Tonga
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 176 km SW of Vaini, Tonga on Mon, Dec 21, 2020, 8:49 PM GMT+13 (07:49 UTC), 137 km (85 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.7 149 km SW of Haveluloto, 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
- 2020-12-21 07:49:22 UTC
- Depth
- 136.6 km (84.9 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 22.483° S, 176.178° 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 12.0 km horizontally, 8.9 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.13
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 119°
- Stations used
- 24
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
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
- 4.5153 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 2087 days ago · 35 km deep · 90 km away
- 4.7149 km SW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 2078 days ago · 104 km deep · 66 km away
- 4.6273 km SW of Vaini, Tonga · 2056 days ago · 10 km deep · 98 km away
- 4.6101 km SW of Vaini, Tonga · 2056 days ago · 69 km deep · 78 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000d5f5. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 8:21 PM UTC.