M5.1 earthquake 279 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 279 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Sun, Dec 18, 1977, 5:07 AM GMT+13 (16:07 UTC), 115 km (71 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.1 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1977-12-17 16:07:50 UTC
- Depth
- 115.0 km (71.5 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 23.722° S, 175.820° 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
- 16
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 9 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.0south of Tonga · 17812 days ago · 33 km deep · 96 km away
- 4.8275 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17810 days ago · 50 km deep · 39 km away
Before
- 4.9231 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17823 days ago · 33 km deep · 63 km away
- 5.1south of Tonga · 17828 days ago · 33 km deep · 47 km away
- 5.1263 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17829 days ago · 33 km deep · 27 km away
- 6.1south of Tonga · 17830 days ago · 33 km deep · 53 km away
- 4.3266 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17830 days ago · 153 km deep · 66 km away
- 5.2south of Tonga · 17831 days ago · 33 km deep · 50 km away
- 5.9Tonga region · 17833 days ago · 33 km deep · 25 km away
- 4.8south of Tonga · 17833 days ago · 33 km deep · 41 km away
- 6.2south of the Fiji Islands · 17834 days ago · 56 km deep · 32 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000s48. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 4:17 AM UTC.