M5.7 earthquake 125 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 125 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Mar 22, 1972, 8:16 PM GMT-11 (07:16 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.0 87 km E 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
- 5.7 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1972-03-23 07:16:51 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.507° S, 172.723° 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
- ±0.39
- 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: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 6.087 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 19896 days ago · 9 km deep · 70 km away
- 5.798 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 19896 days ago · 16 km deep · 73 km away
- 5.6110 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 19896 days ago · 25 km deep · 58 km away
- 6.079 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 19877 days ago · 85 km deep · 82 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem775606. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:09 PM UTC.