M5.2 earthquake 108 km S of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 108 km S of Hihifo, Tonga on Mon, Jan 16, 1978, 8:33 PM GMT-11 (07:33 UTC), 44 km (27 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.2 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-01-17 07:33:18 UTC
- Depth
- 44.0 km (27.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.921° S, 173.626° 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
- 55
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000sju. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 6:53 AM UTC.