Tonga earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 184 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 184 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga on Mon, Jan 26, 1976, 10:47 PM GMT-11 (09:47 UTC), 44 km (27 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.3 135 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.9 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
1976-01-27 09:47:00 UTC
Depth
44.0 km (27.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
16.673° S, 172.243° 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.

Stations used
19

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 10 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.4168 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18505 days ago · 104 km deep · 46 km away
  2. 5.2166 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18503 days ago · 33 km deep · 38 km away
  3. 5.3135 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18503 days ago · 33 km deep · 49 km away
  4. 5.0215 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18502 days ago · 33 km deep · 34 km away
  5. 4.7181 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18502 days ago · 33 km deep · 10 km away
  6. 4.7155 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18478 days ago · 33 km deep · 39 km away
  7. 4.2186 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18467 days ago · 33 km deep · 29 km away
  8. 4.9227 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18466 days ago · 33 km deep · 48 km away

Before

  1. 5.5138 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18511 days ago · 36 km deep · 85 km away
  2. 5.3157 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18519 days ago · 33 km deep · 42 km away
  3. 5.3175 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18522 days ago · 33 km deep · 12 km away
  4. 4.8111 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18536 days ago · 33 km deep · 73 km away
  5. 5.4129 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18537 days ago · 33 km deep · 55 km away
  6. 5.3Samoa Islands region · 18537 days ago · 33 km deep · 75 km away
  7. 5.7123 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18537 days ago · 33 km deep · 66 km away
  8. 4.8134 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18539 days ago · 33 km deep · 62 km away
  9. 4.6164 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18539 days ago · 33 km deep · 21 km away
  10. 4.9117 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18539 days ago · 35 km deep · 94 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000ese. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 6:51 AM UTC.