M4.6 earthquake 103 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 103 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Mar 8, 1975, 1:17 PM GMT-11 (00:17 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.8 146 km NNE of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.6 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1975-03-09 00:17:28 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.844° S, 173.497° 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
- 16
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.8146 km NNE of Neiafu, Tonga · 18789 days ago · 33 km deep · 74 km away
- 5.280 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 18778 days ago · 29 km deep · 88 km away
- 4.9188 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18777 days ago · 33 km deep · 97 km away
- 4.4181 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 18772 days ago · 62 km deep · 90 km away
- 4.9131 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 18769 days ago · 27 km deep · 50 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000a5q. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:43 PM UTC.