Tonga earthquakes

M4.6 earthquake 120 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 120 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga on Sun, Dec 12, 2021, 1:05 PM GMT-12 (01:05 UTC), 89 km (55 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.6 124 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

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Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.6 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
2021-12-13 01:05:59 UTC
Depth
88.7 km (55.1 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
16.988° S, 174.163° 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 14.2 km horizontally, 6.7 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.12
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
136°
Stations used
30

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 13 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.6124 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1740 days ago · 43 km deep · 72 km away · felt by 5
  2. 4.6126 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1733 days ago · 61 km deep · 7 km away
  3. 4.3120 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1727 days ago · 124 km deep · 7 km away
  4. 4.277 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1725 days ago · 124 km deep · 56 km away
  5. 4.493 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1725 days ago · 112 km deep · 27 km away
  6. 4.6137 km N of Neiafu, Tonga · 1718 days ago · 109 km deep · 48 km away · felt by 1
  7. 4.355 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1717 days ago · 144 km deep · 76 km away
  8. 4.6151 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1715 days ago · 69 km deep · 31 km away
  9. 4.2101 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 1711 days ago · 164 km deep · 86 km away
  10. 4.670 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1704 days ago · 147 km deep · 55 km away
  11. 4.7122 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 1701 days ago · 87 km deep · 20 km away
  12. 4.9102 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 1698 days ago · 10 km deep · 53 km away · felt by 1
  13. 4.7143 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1698 days ago · 151 km deep · 24 km away

Before

  1. 4.5103 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 1760 days ago · 80 km deep · 90 km away
  2. 4.0112 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1769 days ago · 190 km deep · 53 km away
  3. 4.2123 km WSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1773 days ago · 204 km deep · 93 km away
  4. 4.4137 km N of Neiafu, Tonga · 1780 days ago · 76 km deep · 52 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000gcu5. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 6:58 AM UTC.