M5.1 earthquake 122 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 122 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, May 30, 1978, 7:57 AM GMT-11 (18:57 UTC), 38 km (24 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.2 80 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
- 1978-05-30 18:57:42 UTC
- Depth
- 38.0 km (23.6 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.266° S, 172.903° 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
- 69
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 6.280 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17643 days ago · 33 km deep · 70 km away
- 4.999 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17603 days ago · 33 km deep · 29 km away
- 5.488 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17597 days ago · 33 km deep · 34 km away
- 5.890 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17597 days ago · 33 km deep · 38 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000uuj. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 6:20 AM UTC.