M6.1 earthquake 209 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 209 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sun, Aug 6, 1972, 10:24 PM GMT-11 (09:24 UTC), 16 km (10 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.2 203 km ESE 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
- 6.1 (mw), strong
- Local time
- UTC
- 1972-08-07 09:24:13 UTC
- Depth
- 15.8 km (9.8 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.689° S, 171.987° 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
- ±0.20
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 1 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 iscgem770351. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 5:30 AM UTC.