M5.0 earthquake 42 km NNE of Kolonga, Tonga
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 42 km NNE of Kolonga, Tonga on Wed, Feb 20, 1974, 1:36 PM GMT+13 (00:36 UTC), 60 km (37 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.4 46 km N of Nuku‘alofa, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1974-02-20 00:36:37 UTC
- Depth
- 60.0 km (37.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.784° S, 174.890° 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
- 23
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 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 usp00005bq. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 9:41 PM UTC.