Tonga earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 117 km E of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 117 km E of Hihifo, Tonga on Mon, Dec 29, 1975, 10:24 AM GMT-11 (21:24 UTC), 35 km (22 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.2 137 km ENE 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
4.9 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1975-12-29 21:24:01 UTC
Depth
35.0 km (21.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.954° S, 172.699° 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
CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES
Stations used
21

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 17 in the 60 days after this one and 14 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.6164 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18529 days ago · 33 km deep · 73 km away
  2. 4.8134 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18529 days ago · 33 km deep · 32 km away
  3. 5.2137 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18529 days ago · 69 km deep · 35 km away
  4. 4.5171 km SSW of Lotofag?, Samoa · 18529 days ago · 33 km deep · 70 km away
  5. 5.7123 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18527 days ago · 33 km deep · 73 km away
  6. 5.3Samoa Islands region · 18527 days ago · 33 km deep · 56 km away
  7. 5.4129 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18526 days ago · 33 km deep · 60 km away
  8. 4.8111 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18526 days ago · 33 km deep · 44 km away
  9. 5.3164 km SSW of Matavai, Samoa · 18526 days ago · 28 km deep · 90 km away
  10. 5.3175 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18512 days ago · 33 km deep · 91 km away
  11. 5.3157 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18509 days ago · 33 km deep · 94 km away
  12. 5.5138 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18501 days ago · 36 km deep · 21 km away
  13. 4.9184 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18501 days ago · 44 km deep · 94 km away
  14. 4.4168 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18495 days ago · 104 km deep · 58 km away
  15. 5.3135 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18493 days ago · 33 km deep · 59 km away
  16. 4.7181 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18492 days ago · 33 km deep · 86 km away
  17. 5.9148 km SSW of Lotofag?, Samoa · 18485 days ago · 33 km deep · 90 km away

Before

  1. 4.424 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18531 days ago · 33 km deep · 95 km away
  2. 4.9123 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18531 days ago · 31 km deep · 14 km away
  3. 5.078 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18532 days ago · 33 km deep · 42 km away
  4. 5.0167 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18532 days ago · 33 km deep · 78 km away
  5. 5.0103 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18532 days ago · 33 km deep · 15 km away
  6. 4.2124 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18532 days ago · 33 km deep · 97 km away
  7. 4.8103 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18532 days ago · 39 km deep · 14 km away
  8. 5.1114 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18532 days ago · 38 km deep · 21 km away
  9. 5.2144 km SSW of Lotofag?, Samoa · 18532 days ago · 33 km deep · 93 km away
  10. 4.9170 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18532 days ago · 33 km deep · 79 km away
  11. 5.492 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18532 days ago · 33 km deep · 28 km away
  12. 4.9171 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18533 days ago · 33 km deep · 62 km away
  13. 4.8170 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18533 days ago · 33 km deep · 71 km away
  14. 7.8146 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18533 days ago · 33 km deep · 42 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000e5e. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 5:24 AM UTC.