M4.9 earthquake 131 km S of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 131 km S of Hihifo, Tonga on Sun, May 4, 1975, 2:16 PM GMT-12 (02:16 UTC), 27 km (17 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.4 88 km SW 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), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1975-05-05 02:16:40 UTC
- Depth
- 27.0 km (16.8 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.142° S, 173.847° 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
- 22
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.8133 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 18746 days ago · 92 km deep · 88 km away
- 5.488 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 18726 days ago · 161 km deep · 100 km away
- 5.158 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 18719 days ago · 79 km deep · 73 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000ax7. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 11:17 AM UTC.