Tonga earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 175 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 175 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga on Thu, Jan 15, 1976, 4:14 PM GMT-11 (03:14 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.5 138 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
5.3 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
1976-01-16 03:14:09 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
16.703° S, 172.352° 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
24

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 11 in the 60 days after this one and 18 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.3157 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18509 days ago · 33 km deep · 30 km away
  2. 5.5138 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18502 days ago · 36 km deep · 86 km away
  3. 4.9184 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18501 days ago · 44 km deep · 12 km away
  4. 4.4168 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18495 days ago · 104 km deep · 51 km away
  5. 5.2166 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18493 days ago · 33 km deep · 26 km away
  6. 5.3135 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18493 days ago · 33 km deep · 40 km away
  7. 5.0215 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18493 days ago · 33 km deep · 40 km away
  8. 4.7181 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18492 days ago · 33 km deep · 19 km away
  9. 4.7155 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18469 days ago · 33 km deep · 39 km away
  10. 4.2186 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18457 days ago · 33 km deep · 39 km away
  11. 4.9227 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18456 days ago · 33 km deep · 53 km away

Before

  1. 4.8111 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18527 days ago · 33 km deep · 65 km away
  2. 5.4129 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18527 days ago · 33 km deep · 46 km away
  3. 5.3Samoa Islands region · 18527 days ago · 33 km deep · 66 km away
  4. 5.7123 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18527 days ago · 33 km deep · 55 km away
  5. 4.8134 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18530 days ago · 33 km deep · 59 km away
  6. 4.6164 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18530 days ago · 33 km deep · 19 km away
  7. 4.9117 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18530 days ago · 35 km deep · 91 km away
  8. 4.9123 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18532 days ago · 31 km deep · 77 km away
  9. 5.0167 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18532 days ago · 33 km deep · 14 km away
  10. 5.0103 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18533 days ago · 33 km deep · 100 km away
  11. 4.8103 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18533 days ago · 39 km deep · 99 km away
  12. 5.1114 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18533 days ago · 38 km deep · 75 km away
  13. 5.1234 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18533 days ago · 33 km deep · 60 km away
  14. 4.9170 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18533 days ago · 33 km deep · 15 km away
  15. 5.492 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18533 days ago · 33 km deep · 96 km away
  16. 4.9171 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18533 days ago · 33 km deep · 49 km away
  17. 4.8170 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18533 days ago · 33 km deep · 29 km away
  18. 7.8146 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18533 days ago · 33 km deep · 50 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000eg1. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 12:18 PM UTC.