M5.3 earthquake 52 km SE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 52 km SE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Sun, Jan 4, 1976, 12:37 PM GMT+13 (23:37 UTC), 53 km (33 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.4 109 km SE of ‘Ohonua, 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
- 1976-01-03 23:37:15 UTC
- Depth
- 53.0 km (32.9 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 21.702° S, 174.631° 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
- 17
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000e9j. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 5:59 PM UTC.