M4.8 earthquake 17 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 17 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Jul 17, 1976, 4:28 AM GMT-11 (15:28 UTC), 116 km (72 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.2 59 km E 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
- 4.8 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1976-07-17 15:28:45 UTC
- Depth
- 116.0 km (72.1 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 15.903° S, 173.955° 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
- 13
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.992 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 18323 days ago · 41 km deep · 84 km away
- 5.259 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 18295 days ago · 33 km deep · 77 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000hd7. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 7:23 PM UTC.