M5.9 earthquake 80 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 80 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Feb 12, 1972, 7:51 AM GMT-11 (18:51 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
- 5.9 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1972-02-12 18:51:59 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.445° S, 173.255° 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
- ±0.34
- 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: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.8133 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 19935 days ago · 48 km deep · 59 km away
- 5.7125 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 19906 days ago · 10 km deep · 57 km away
- 6.087 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 19896 days ago · 9 km deep · 76 km away
- 5.798 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 19896 days ago · 16 km deep · 86 km away
- 5.6110 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 19896 days ago · 25 km deep · 83 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem776156. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC.