Tonga earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 176 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 176 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga on Tue, Apr 12, 1977, 6:20 PM GMT-12 (06:20 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.1 194 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.9 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1977-04-13 06:20:57 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
17.715° S, 172.636° 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
8

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.3150 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18059 days ago · 33 km deep · 80 km away
  2. 5.1194 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18057 days ago · 33 km deep · 41 km away
  3. 5.3175 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18042 days ago · 33 km deep · 57 km away
  4. 5.2221 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18037 days ago · 33 km deep · 83 km away
  5. 5.0171 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 18035 days ago · 33 km deep · 58 km away
  6. 5.0164 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 18035 days ago · 33 km deep · 30 km away

Before

  1. 4.9209 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 18063 days ago · 35 km deep · 36 km away
  2. 4.9173 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 18065 days ago · 33 km deep · 37 km away
  3. 5.1178 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 18065 days ago · 33 km deep · 4 km away
  4. 4.9207 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 18068 days ago · 68 km deep · 51 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000ncv. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:54 AM UTC.