M4.5 earthquake 281 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 281 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga on Sun, May 21, 1978, 7:34 PM GMT+13 (06:34 UTC), 539 km (335 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.6 Fiji region. 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
- 1978-05-21 06:34:14 UTC
- Depth
- 539.0 km (334.9 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 20.411° S, 177.799° 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
- 21
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 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.6Fiji region · 17623 days ago · 571 km deep · 46 km away
- 4.3Fiji region · 17600 days ago · 539 km deep · 29 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000un4. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:51 PM UTC.