M5.0 earthquake 241 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 241 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga on Mon, Jun 19, 1978, 8:57 PM GMT-11 (07:57 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.4 184 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
- 5.0 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-06-20 07:57:23 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.545° S, 172.013° 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
- 22
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.4184 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17619 days ago · 33 km deep · 75 km away
- 5.1206 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 17614 days ago · 33 km deep · 52 km away
- 5.0173 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17612 days ago · 29 km deep · 87 km away
- 4.9204 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17609 days ago · 41 km deep · 57 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000v5j. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:25 PM UTC.