Earthquake.now

M4.7 Earthquake near Hihifo, Tonga — 31 December 2024

A light earthquake of magnitude 4.7 was recorded near Hihifo, Tonga on , with an epicentre 177 km east-southeast of Hihifo, at a focal depth of 10.0 km. It ranked as the 9th strongest of 13 earthquakes recorded in Tonga in the preceding 30 days.

4.7 Light

Time (UTC): 2024-12-31 00:59:44

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 4.7 (light)

Focal depth: 10.0 km (shallow)

Epicentre: -16.3715, -172.1960

Location: 177 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga

Country: Tonga

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Reviewed

Source: USGS event page

How strong was this earthquake?

Light earthquakes are widely felt near the epicentre and can rattle windows, dishes and hanging objects. Damage is uncommon and usually limited to cracked plaster or fallen loose items.

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake radiates roughly 169 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 340, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.

What the magnitude scale actually measures →

When it happened locally

That is about 13:30 local solar time at the epicentre, around midday.

This event was shallower than 100% of the 400 earthquakes recorded in Tonga in our catalogue and stronger than 46% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at -16.3715, -172.1960 — 177 km east-southeast of Hihifo. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 5.0 earthquake 22 km north of here on 23 June 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Lotofagā (138 km north-northwest), Gataivai (172 km north-northwest) and Neiafu (209 km south-southwest).

Why the 10 km depth matters

At 10 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.

This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size is often felt across the surrounding area. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.

Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →

What does the tsunami information flag mean?

The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M4.7 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.

How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →

Aftershocks and local seismic history

1 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.8.

101 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.3 event near Hihifo on 22 March 2026. This M4.7 event released about 251 times less energy than that event.

No other earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, which makes this a genuinely isolated event.

How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →

Where this event sits in the record

This earthquake is part of the December 2024 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Tonga during December 2024. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in Tonga

All recorded earthquakes in Tonga →

Other magnitude 4 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 4 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Hihifo?

It measured magnitude 4.7 — a light earthquake. A magnitude 4.7 earthquake radiates roughly 169 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Hihifo?

The focus was 10 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.

Was the Hihifo earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 4.7 and a focal depth of 10 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.

When did the earthquake near Hihifo happen?

31 December 2024 at 00:59 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

1 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.8.

How often do earthquakes happen near Hihifo?

101 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.3 event near Hihifo on 22 March 2026. This M4.7 event released about 251 times less energy than that event.