M4.3 earthquake 206 km W of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck 206 km W of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, Dec 13, 1977, 9:59 AM GMT-12 (21:59 UTC), 411 km (255 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.1 138 km W 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
- 4.3 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1977-12-13 21:59:25 UTC
- Depth
- 411.0 km (255.4 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 15.963° S, 175.723° 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
- 8
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 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 usp0000s22. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 8:35 PM UTC.