M4.9 earthquake 108 km E of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 108 km E of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Oct 6, 1973, 8:36 PM GMT-11 (07:36 UTC), 33 km (21 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
- 4.9 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1973-10-07 07:36:45 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.974° S, 172.781° 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
- 38
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00003r0. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 7:51 AM UTC.