Tonga earthquakes

M5.7 earthquake 123 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 123 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Dec 31, 1975, 10:04 PM GMT-11 (09:04 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

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Map

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.7 (mb), moderate
Local time: Wed, Dec 31, 1975, 10:04 PM GMT-11
UTC: 1976-01-01 09:04:44 UTC
Depth: 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 16.590° S, 172.852° 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: 46

Nearest places

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

Apia, SamoaPopulation 40,407. Forecast328 kmSSW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.7 and up: 13 in the 60 days after this one and 14 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Tonga earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000e7q (also filed as iscgem718442). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 8:27 PM UTC.