Tonga earthquakes

M4.4 earthquake 24 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck 24 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sun, Dec 28, 1975, 1:28 AM GMT-11 (12:28 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.9 117 km E of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.4 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1975-12-28 12:28:24 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.871° S, 173.587° 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
11

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 9 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.9117 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18530 days ago · 35 km deep · 95 km away
  2. 5.3Samoa Islands region · 18528 days ago · 33 km deep · 96 km away
  3. 4.8111 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18527 days ago · 33 km deep · 96 km away
  4. 5.786 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18514 days ago · 33 km deep · 72 km away

Before

  1. 4.741 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 18533 days ago · 33 km deep · 57 km away
  2. 4.832 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 18533 days ago · 173 km deep · 54 km away
  3. 5.078 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18533 days ago · 33 km deep · 60 km away
  4. 5.0103 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18533 days ago · 33 km deep · 81 km away
  5. 4.8103 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18533 days ago · 39 km deep · 82 km away
  6. 5.1114 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18533 days ago · 38 km deep · 95 km away
  7. 5.492 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18533 days ago · 33 km deep · 72 km away
  8. 4.9102 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18543 days ago · 40 km deep · 92 km away
  9. 4.642 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 18550 days ago · 59 km deep · 63 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000e4f. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 2:50 AM UTC.