M4.5 earthquake 162 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 162 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga on Mon, Mar 20, 1978, 7:01 PM GMT-12 (07:01 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.5 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-03-21 07:01:04 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.277° S, 174.524° 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
- 6
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000tgh. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:18 PM UTC.