M4.6 earthquake 156 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 156 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sun, May 7, 1978, 1:16 AM GMT-11 (12:16 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M7.0 206 km SE 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
- 4.6 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-05-07 12:16:47 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.631° S, 172.510° 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
- 11
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.0203 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17674 days ago · 33 km deep · 56 km away
- 7.0206 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17637 days ago · 33 km deep · 58 km away
- 5.4184 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17627 days ago · 33 km deep · 52 km away
- 5.1206 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 17621 days ago · 33 km deep · 91 km away
- 5.0173 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17620 days ago · 29 km deep · 34 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000ueb. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 3:45 AM UTC.