M5.3 earthquake 164 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 164 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Mar 14, 1973, 8:30 PM GMT-12 (08:30 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1973-03-15 08:30:20 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.490° S, 175.257° 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.
- Depth from
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
- Stations used
- 17
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 2 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 usp00000ym. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:23 AM UTC.