M4.6 earthquake 99 km E of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 99 km E of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Sep 2, 1978, 4:39 AM GMT-11 (15:39 UTC), 39 km (24 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.4 82 km NE 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
- 1978-09-02 15:39:27 UTC
- Depth
- 39.0 km (24.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.987° S, 172.869° 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
- CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES
- Stations used
- 22
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.482 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17548 days ago · 33 km deep · 85 km away
- 4.897 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17544 days ago · 33 km deep · 95 km away
- 4.791 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17533 days ago · 47 km deep · 66 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000wb8. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 3:35 AM UTC.