M5.1 earthquake 173 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 173 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga on Sat, Jan 27, 1973, 8:38 AM GMT-12 (20:38 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
- 5.1 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1973-01-27 20:38:00 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.510° S, 172.854° 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
- 34
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.0181 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 19586 days ago · 33 km deep · 18 km away
- 4.4168 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 19563 days ago · 33 km deep · 28 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00000ae. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC.