Tonga earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 95 km N of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 95 km N of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, Sep 14, 2021, 11:28 PM GMT+13 (10:28 UTC), 110 km (68 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.8 135 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.9 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
2021-09-14 10:28:16 UTC
Depth
109.6 km (68.1 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
15.094° S, 173.903° W
Region
Tonga
Felt reports
1
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

1 person reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, weak shaking.

Did You Feel It? map: shaking reported by the public
Shaking reported by the public, by area. Map: USGS Did You Feel It?

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 9.6 km horizontally, 6.4 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.05
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
56°
Stations used
76

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.121 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1838 days ago · 67 km deep · 78 km away · felt by 3
  2. 4.3105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1833 days ago · 149 km deep · 60 km away
  3. 4.371 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1830 days ago · 35 km deep · 85 km away
  4. 4.6136 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1824 days ago · 10 km deep · 87 km away
  5. 5.8135 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa · 1824 days ago · 20 km deep · 84 km away · felt by 3
  6. 4.4129 km SW of Gataivai, Samoa · 1824 days ago · 10 km deep · 94 km away
  7. 5.481 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1820 days ago · 35 km deep · 77 km away · felt by 4
  8. 4.294 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1792 days ago · 10 km deep · 92 km away

Before

  1. 4.828 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 1843 days ago · 59 km deep · 68 km away
  2. 5.279 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1844 days ago · 187 km deep · 56 km away
  3. 4.7106 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1849 days ago · 10 km deep · 98 km away
  4. 4.692 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1852 days ago · 10 km deep · 31 km away
  5. 4.535 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 1857 days ago · 83 km deep · 61 km away
  6. 4.9108 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1859 days ago · 10 km deep · 94 km away
  7. 4.568 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 1866 days ago · 133 km deep · 38 km away
  8. 4.545 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 1867 days ago · 67 km deep · 51 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000fb09 (also filed as iscgem621072704). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 12:21 PM UTC.