M4.9 earthquake 126 km E of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 126 km E of Neiafu, Tonga on Sun, Jul 17, 1977, 12:16 AM GMT+13 (11:16 UTC), 51 km (32 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.1 179 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.9 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1977-07-16 11:16:29 UTC
- Depth
- 51.0 km (31.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 18.663° S, 172.783° 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
- 33
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000prg. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:31 AM UTC.