M4.9 earthquake 102 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 102 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Dec 17, 1975, 12:52 AM GMT-11 (11:52 UTC), 40 km (25 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.7 86 km NNE 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
- 1975-12-17 11:52:22 UTC
- Depth
- 40.0 km (24.9 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.048° S, 173.606° 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
- 25
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.2124 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18532 days ago · 33 km deep · 65 km away
- 4.741 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 18532 days ago · 33 km deep · 89 km away
- 4.424 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18531 days ago · 33 km deep · 92 km away
- 5.786 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18514 days ago · 33 km deep · 22 km away
- 5.0135 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18512 days ago · 33 km deep · 62 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000dyd. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:30 AM UTC.