M4.5 earthquake 144 km SW of Vaini, Tonga
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 144 km SW of Vaini, Tonga on Fri, Aug 12, 1977, 4:20 PM GMT+13 (03:20 UTC), 170 km (106 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.9 160 km SW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.5 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1977-08-12 03:20:58 UTC
- Depth
- 170.0 km (105.6 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 22.163° S, 176.111° 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
- 12
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.9160 km SW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17937 days ago · 33 km deep · 44 km away
- 4.8160 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17884 days ago · 33 km deep · 60 km away
Before
- 5.1141 km SW of Vaini, Tonga · 17944 days ago · 122 km deep · 15 km away
- 4.8234 km SW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17947 days ago · 115 km deep · 100 km away
- 4.5161 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17950 days ago · 123 km deep · 95 km away
- 4.9137 km WSW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 17958 days ago · 294 km deep · 66 km away
- 4.9154 km SW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 17965 days ago · 54 km deep · 27 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000q27. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 6:13 AM UTC.