M5.1 earthquake 234 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 234 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Dec 26, 1975, 7:38 AM GMT-11 (18:38 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 175 km ESE 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
- 5.1 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1975-12-26 18:38:46 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.850° S, 171.806° 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
- 6
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.0167 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18540 days ago · 33 km deep · 67 km away
- 4.6164 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18537 days ago · 33 km deep · 70 km away
- 5.3175 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18520 days ago · 33 km deep · 60 km away
- 5.3157 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18517 days ago · 33 km deep · 86 km away
- 4.9184 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18509 days ago · 44 km deep · 51 km away
- 4.4168 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18503 days ago · 104 km deep · 81 km away
- 5.2166 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18501 days ago · 33 km deep · 79 km away
- 5.3135 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18501 days ago · 33 km deep · 99 km away
- 5.0215 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18500 days ago · 33 km deep · 25 km away
- 4.7181 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18500 days ago · 33 km deep · 54 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000e30. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 6:43 AM UTC.