Tonga earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 21 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 21 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Sep 18, 2021, 1:56 PM GMT+13 (00:56 UTC), 67 km (41 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.4 81 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga. 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
5.1 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
2021-09-18 00:56:06 UTC
Depth
66.7 km (41.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.774° S, 173.713° W
Region
Tonga
Felt reports
3
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

3 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was IV, light 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 9.4 km horizontally, 5.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.03
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
48°
Stations used
114

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 11 in the 60 days after this one and 12 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.3105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1833 days ago · 149 km deep · 84 km away
  2. 4.371 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1830 days ago · 35 km deep · 53 km away
  3. 4.557 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1829 days ago · 57 km deep · 72 km away
  4. 5.481 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1820 days ago · 35 km deep · 61 km away · felt by 4
  5. 4.331 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1810 days ago · 107 km deep · 39 km away
  6. 4.313 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 1793 days ago · 71 km deep · 23 km away
  7. 4.774 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1793 days ago · 10 km deep · 93 km away
  8. 4.294 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1792 days ago · 10 km deep · 76 km away
  9. 4.636 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1789 days ago · 73 km deep · 53 km away
  10. 4.875 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 1782 days ago · 10 km deep · 68 km away
  11. 4.2115 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1781 days ago · 10 km deep · 95 km away

Before

  1. 4.995 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 1842 days ago · 110 km deep · 78 km away · felt by 1
  2. 4.828 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 1842 days ago · 59 km deep · 14 km away
  3. 5.279 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1844 days ago · 187 km deep · 74 km away
  4. 4.86 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 1849 days ago · 82 km deep · 28 km away
  5. 4.7106 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1849 days ago · 10 km deep · 88 km away
  6. 4.566 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 1851 days ago · 35 km deep · 58 km away
  7. 4.692 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1852 days ago · 10 km deep · 71 km away
  8. 4.535 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 1857 days ago · 83 km deep · 19 km away
  9. 4.9108 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1859 days ago · 10 km deep · 89 km away
  10. 4.6Tonga · 1863 days ago · 69 km deep · 50 km away
  11. 4.568 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 1866 days ago · 133 km deep · 47 km away
  12. 4.545 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 1867 days ago · 67 km deep · 27 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000fca8 (also filed as iscgem621082838). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:37 AM UTC.