M4.7 earthquake 91 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 91 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Sep 22, 1978, 3:32 AM GMT-11 (14:32 UTC), 47 km (29 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.0 82 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
- 4.7 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-09-22 14:32:32 UTC
- Depth
- 47.0 km (29.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.447° S, 173.122° 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
- 11
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.7 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.082 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17505 days ago · 33 km deep · 60 km away
- 5.468 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17481 days ago · 33 km deep · 27 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000wp4. Read Thu, Sep 24, 2026, 6:01 AM UTC.