M4.4 earthquake 127 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck 127 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, Dec 13, 1977, 8:53 PM GMT-11 (07:53 UTC), 113 km (70 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.0 99 km NE 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
- 4.4 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1977-12-14 07:53:04 UTC
- Depth
- 113.0 km (70.2 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 15.419° S, 172.739° 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
- 7
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.099 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17814 days ago · 33 km deep · 45 km away
- 5.174 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17775 days ago · 33 km deep · 81 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000s27. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:58 AM UTC.