M5.8 earthquake 133 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 133 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Feb 23, 1972, 7:19 AM GMT-11 (18:19 UTC), 48 km (30 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
- 5.8 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1972-02-23 18:19:06 UTC
- Depth
- 48.1 km (29.9 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.369° S, 172.708° 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
- ±0.21
- 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 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.7125 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 19906 days ago · 10 km deep · 15 km away
- 6.087 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 19896 days ago · 9 km deep · 84 km away
- 5.798 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 19896 days ago · 16 km deep · 88 km away
- 5.6110 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 19896 days ago · 25 km deep · 74 km away
- 6.079 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 19877 days ago · 85 km deep · 81 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem776417. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 6:03 AM UTC.