M4.4 earthquake 79 km N of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck 79 km N of Neiafu, Tonga on Sun, Jan 12, 1975, 9:27 PM GMT+13 (08:27 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.8 103 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.4 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1975-01-12 08:27:37 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.934° S, 173.956° 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
- 18
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.8103 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 18888 days ago · 153 km deep · 66 km away
- 4.4120 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 18882 days ago · 97 km deep · 81 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00009g2. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 3:12 AM UTC.