M4.8 earthquake 160 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 160 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Feb 15, 1978, 3:46 AM GMT-12 (15:46 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.8 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-02-15 15:46:08 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.287° S, 173.210° 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
- 10
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000szp. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 2:05 AM UTC.