M4.9 earthquake 144 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 144 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Feb 1, 1978, 5:09 AM GMT-12 (17:09 UTC), 300 km (186 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.9 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-02-01 17:09:21 UTC
- Depth
- 300.0 km (186.4 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 16.730° S, 174.883° 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
- 50
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 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 usp0000ssv. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 8:09 AM UTC.