M5.1 earthquake 138 km W of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 138 km W of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Jan 7, 1978, 7:32 AM GMT-12 (19:32 UTC), 311 km (193 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), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-01-07 19:32:40 UTC
- Depth
- 311.0 km (193.2 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 15.833° S, 175.079° 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
- 17
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000sd7. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 2:56 PM UTC.