M5.9 earthquake 185 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 185 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, Sep 17, 1968, 5:49 AM GMT-12 (17:49 UTC), 37 km (23 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.1 194 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.9 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1968-09-17 17:49:51 UTC
- Depth
- 37.2 km (23.1 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.237° S, 175.358° 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.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.26
- Depth from
- From location
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem817120. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 5:35 AM UTC.