M4.3 earthquake 72 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck 72 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Feb 22, 1978, 7:48 PM GMT-11 (06:48 UTC), 167 km (104 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.5 162 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.3 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-02-23 06:48:57 UTC
- Depth
- 167.0 km (103.8 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 16.461° S, 174.231° 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
- 8
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 2 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 usp0000t3s. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:59 PM UTC.