M5.2 earthquake 129 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 129 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Sep 3, 1971, 12:28 PM GMT-11 (23:28 UTC), 29 km (18 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.7 82 km N 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
- 5.2 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1971-09-03 23:28:52 UTC
- Depth
- 29.0 km (18.0 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.309° S, 172.784° 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
- ±0.24
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem779918. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:21 AM UTC.