M4.5 earthquake 171 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 171 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Oct 3, 1973, 7:26 PM GMT-11 (06:26 UTC), 25 km (16 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.1 130 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
- 4.5 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1973-10-04 06:26:28 UTC
- Depth
- 25.0 km (15.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.486° S, 172.267° 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.
- Stations used
- 9
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 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 usp00003p8. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 1:57 PM UTC.