Tonga earthquakes

M4.6 earthquake 126 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 126 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Dec 31, 2021, 12:02 PM GMT-12 (00:02 UTC), 61 km (38 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.9 102 km S 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
2022-01-01 00:02:24 UTC
Depth
60.9 km (37.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
17.027° S, 174.214° 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 12.6 km horizontally, 6.4 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.27
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
85°
Stations used
12

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 11 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.3120 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1727 days ago · 124 km deep · 13 km away
  2. 4.277 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1725 days ago · 124 km deep · 60 km away
  3. 4.493 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1725 days ago · 112 km deep · 34 km away
  4. 4.6137 km N of Neiafu, Tonga · 1718 days ago · 109 km deep · 44 km away · felt by 1
  5. 4.355 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1717 days ago · 144 km deep · 81 km away
  6. 4.6151 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1715 days ago · 69 km deep · 26 km away
  7. 4.2101 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 1711 days ago · 164 km deep · 82 km away
  8. 4.670 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1704 days ago · 147 km deep · 60 km away
  9. 4.7122 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 1701 days ago · 87 km deep · 24 km away
  10. 4.9102 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 1698 days ago · 10 km deep · 59 km away · felt by 1
  11. 4.7143 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1698 days ago · 151 km deep · 17 km away

Before

  1. 5.6124 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 1740 days ago · 43 km deep · 77 km away · felt by 5
  2. 4.6120 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 1752 days ago · 89 km deep · 7 km away
  3. 4.5103 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 1760 days ago · 80 km deep · 85 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000gbcd. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 7:56 AM UTC.