Tonga earthquakes

M4.2 earthquake 278 km WNW of Houma, Tonga

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 278 km WNW of Houma, Tonga on Sun, Dec 3, 2023, 2:44 PM GMT+13 (01:44 UTC), 553 km (344 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.8 Fiji region. This one was a foreshock.

Nuku‘alofa forecastMore in Tonga

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.2 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2023-12-03 01:44:23 UTC
Depth
553.1 km (343.7 mi), deep
Epicenter
20.531° S, 177.894° 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 13.6 km horizontally, 13.0 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.15
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
92°
Stations used
23

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 36 in the 60 days after this one and 19 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.5Fiji region · 1033 days ago · 536 km deep · 73 km away
  2. 4.1274 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1032 days ago · 497 km deep · 31 km away
  3. 4.3240 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1031 days ago · 508 km deep · 46 km away
  4. 4.4Fiji region · 1031 days ago · 538 km deep · 32 km away
  5. 4.4266 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1031 days ago · 369 km deep · 68 km away
  6. 4.3259 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1024 days ago · 498 km deep · 43 km away
  7. 4.3Fiji region · 1024 days ago · 573 km deep · 80 km away
  8. 4.2264 km W of Houma, Tonga · 1024 days ago · 456 km deep · 44 km away
  9. 4.2284 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1022 days ago · 496 km deep · 65 km away
  10. 4.4Fiji region · 1021 days ago · 536 km deep · 43 km away
  11. 4.2271 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1021 days ago · 583 km deep · 8 km away
  12. 4.4Fiji region · 1014 days ago · 503 km deep · 80 km away
  13. 4.2285 km NW of Houma, Tonga · 1012 days ago · 339 km deep · 100 km away
  14. 4.4299 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1011 days ago · 526 km deep · 26 km away
  15. 4.6Fiji region · 1011 days ago · 536 km deep · 95 km away
  16. 4.0273 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1009 days ago · 495 km deep · 81 km away
  17. 4.4270 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1009 days ago · 387 km deep · 13 km away
  18. 4.3Fiji region · 1003 days ago · 535 km deep · 90 km away
  19. 4.2281 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1003 days ago · 555 km deep · 46 km away
  20. 4.4251 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 998 days ago · 509 km deep · 27 km away
  21. 4.6264 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 996 days ago · 484 km deep · 15 km away
  22. 4.2293 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 996 days ago · 530 km deep · 66 km away
  23. 4.3Fiji region · 995 days ago · 527 km deep · 33 km away
  24. 4.8Fiji region · 993 days ago · 584 km deep · 71 km away
  25. 4.8Fiji region · 993 days ago · 555 km deep · 49 km away
  26. 4.5266 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 992 days ago · 500 km deep · 31 km away
  27. 4.6Fiji region · 992 days ago · 521 km deep · 39 km away
  28. 4.4266 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 987 days ago · 522 km deep · 16 km away
  29. 4.2260 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 987 days ago · 495 km deep · 50 km away
  30. 4.2268 km W of Houma, Tonga · 986 days ago · 362 km deep · 63 km away
  31. 4.1261 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 984 days ago · 500 km deep · 43 km away
  32. 4.3237 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 982 days ago · 395 km deep · 41 km away
  33. 4.0281 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 981 days ago · 496 km deep · 29 km away
  34. 4.2279 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 979 days ago · 486 km deep · 44 km away
  35. 4.1Fiji region · 978 days ago · 611 km deep · 44 km away
  36. 4.2278 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 976 days ago · 539 km deep · 63 km away

Before

  1. 4.9284 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1035 days ago · 533 km deep · 14 km away
  2. 4.4258 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1037 days ago · 508 km deep · 69 km away
  3. 4.7Fiji region · 1037 days ago · 609 km deep · 100 km away
  4. 4.3277 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1037 days ago · 548 km deep · 19 km away
  5. 4.6Fiji region · 1039 days ago · 544 km deep · 40 km away
  6. 4.0264 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1041 days ago · 457 km deep · 17 km away
  7. 4.1278 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1042 days ago · 460 km deep · 4 km away
  8. 4.2260 km W of Houma, Tonga · 1044 days ago · 409 km deep · 86 km away
  9. 4.1269 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1044 days ago · 493 km deep · 57 km away
  10. 4.1274 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1047 days ago · 526 km deep · 27 km away
  11. 4.2269 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1048 days ago · 499 km deep · 28 km away
  12. 4.4Fiji region · 1051 days ago · 594 km deep · 67 km away
  13. 4.9Fiji region · 1051 days ago · 590 km deep · 80 km away
  14. 4.8Fiji region · 1055 days ago · 561 km deep · 50 km away
  15. 4.4Fiji region · 1058 days ago · 597 km deep · 82 km away
  16. 4.0285 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1059 days ago · 496 km deep · 39 km away
  17. 4.3256 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1060 days ago · 502 km deep · 23 km away
  18. 4.4272 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1063 days ago · 378 km deep · 6 km away
  19. 4.1266 km WNW of Houma, Tonga · 1064 days ago · 501 km deep · 13 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000lhb3. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 1:55 PM UTC.