M5.3 earthquake 108 km N of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 108 km N of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Mar 31, 1976, 7:18 PM GMT-11 (06:18 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 95 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1976-04-01 06:18:22 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 14.980° S, 173.714° 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
- 27
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.595 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18440 days ago · 33 km deep · 54 km away
- 4.988 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18408 days ago · 21 km deep · 42 km away
- 4.765 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 18391 days ago · 99 km deep · 77 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000fqu. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 6:13 PM UTC.