M4.9 earthquake 190 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 190 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga on Fri, Jan 8, 2021, 12:08 AM GMT-12 (12:08 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), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 2021-01-08 12:08:50 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.510° S, 172.635° 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 7.0 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.12
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 58°
- Stations used
- 31
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.0189 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2091 days ago · 10 km deep · 24 km away
- 4.9180 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 2066 days ago · 10 km deep · 58 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000d6pq. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 10:18 PM UTC.