Tonga earthquakes

M5.0 earthquake 82 km E of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 82 km E of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Sep 30, 1977, 12:37 AM GMT-11 (11:37 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.5 93 km E of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Apia forecastMore in Tonga

Map

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

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
5.0 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
1977-09-30 11:37:46 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.956° S, 173.026° 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
37

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 9 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.593 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 17889 days ago · 33 km deep · 14 km away
  2. 5.984 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17875 days ago · 33 km deep · 26 km away
  3. 5.380 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17856 days ago · 30 km deep · 70 km away
  4. 4.7121 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17834 days ago · 33 km deep · 44 km away
  5. 4.573 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17832 days ago · 33 km deep · 91 km away

Before

  1. 4.468 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17899 days ago · 33 km deep · 43 km away
  2. 4.8158 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 17900 days ago · 33 km deep · 77 km away
  3. 5.1132 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17906 days ago · 4 km deep · 78 km away
  4. 5.197 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17906 days ago · 33 km deep · 54 km away
  5. 4.885 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17906 days ago · 33 km deep · 87 km away
  6. 6.077 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17906 days ago · 33 km deep · 63 km away
  7. 5.681 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17908 days ago · 33 km deep · 69 km away
  8. 5.688 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17908 days ago · 33 km deep · 66 km away
  9. 5.494 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17916 days ago · 18 km deep · 78 km away

Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000quw. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:28 AM UTC.