Tonga earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 132 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 132 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga on Mon, Sep 12, 1977, 10:59 PM GMT-11 (09:59 UTC), 4 km (2 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.9 84 km ENE 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
5.1 (mb, body-wave), moderate
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
1977-09-13 09:59:00 UTC
Depth
4.0 km (2.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.298° S, 172.762° 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 2.1 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.8158 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 17912 days ago · 33 km deep · 73 km away
  2. 4.468 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17911 days ago · 33 km deep · 65 km away
  3. 5.082 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 17901 days ago · 33 km deep · 78 km away
  4. 5.593 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 17901 days ago · 33 km deep · 84 km away
  5. 5.984 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17887 days ago · 33 km deep · 56 km away
  6. 5.380 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17869 days ago · 30 km deep · 61 km away

Before

  1. 5.197 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17918 days ago · 33 km deep · 35 km away
  2. 4.885 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17918 days ago · 33 km deep · 71 km away
  3. 6.077 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17919 days ago · 33 km deep · 59 km away
  4. 5.681 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17920 days ago · 33 km deep · 58 km away
  5. 5.688 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17920 days ago · 33 km deep · 50 km away
  6. 5.494 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17928 days ago · 18 km deep · 51 km away
  7. 5.1135 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17941 days ago · 33 km deep · 96 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000qmk. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 1:46 PM UTC.