M5.1 earthquake 74 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 74 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Jan 21, 1978, 1:33 PM GMT-11 (00:33 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.2 79 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
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
- 1978-01-22 00:33:51 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.348° S, 173.490° 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.
- Depth from
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
- Stations used
- 49
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 3 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 usp0000sn3. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 6:23 PM UTC.