M5.1 earthquake 178 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 178 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga on Wed, Apr 6, 1977, 11:01 PM GMT-12 (11:01 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 175 km SSE 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
- 5.1 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1977-04-07 11:01:56 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.681° S, 172.631° 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.
- Depth from
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
- Stations used
- 11
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.9173 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 18065 days ago · 33 km deep · 35 km away
- 4.9209 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 18063 days ago · 35 km deep · 33 km away
- 4.9176 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 18059 days ago · 33 km deep · 4 km away
- 4.3150 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18059 days ago · 33 km deep · 77 km away
- 5.1194 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18056 days ago · 33 km deep · 38 km away
- 5.3175 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18042 days ago · 33 km deep · 55 km away
- 5.2221 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18037 days ago · 33 km deep · 80 km away
- 5.0171 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 18035 days ago · 33 km deep · 61 km away
- 5.0164 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 18035 days ago · 33 km deep · 34 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000n9v. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:21 AM UTC.