M5.1 earthquake 206 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 206 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga on Sun, Jul 2, 1978, 1:14 PM GMT-11 (00:14 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.4 144 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
- 5.1 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-07-03 00:14:26 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.453° S, 172.494° 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
- 30
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.0173 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17624 days ago · 29 km deep · 58 km away
- 4.9204 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17621 days ago · 41 km deep · 16 km away
- 5.4144 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17620 days ago · 33 km deep · 83 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000vd8. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 3:52 PM UTC.