M5.3 earthquake 153 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 153 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga on Mon, Dec 12, 1977, 9:38 PM GMT+13 (08:38 UTC), 202 km (126 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1977-12-12 08:38:00 UTC
- Depth
- 202.0 km (125.5 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 17.772° S, 175.110° 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
- 73
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.0Tonga · 17789 days ago · 288 km deep · 53 km away
- 5.2131 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 17765 days ago · 252 km deep · 23 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000s17. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:36 PM UTC.