M4.8 earthquake 159 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 159 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Thu, Mar 16, 1978, 9:21 PM GMT+13 (08:21 UTC), 95 km (59 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.7 177 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.8 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-03-16 08:21:21 UTC
- Depth
- 95.0 km (59.0 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 22.719° S, 175.373° 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
- 15
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.7177 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17730 days ago · 33 km deep · 19 km away
- 4.7148 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17708 days ago · 33 km deep · 16 km away
Before
- 5.2213 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17744 days ago · 33 km deep · 72 km away
- 5.2212 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17744 days ago · 33 km deep · 71 km away
- 5.1184 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17744 days ago · 33 km deep · 39 km away
- 5.6197 km SSW of Vaini, Tonga · 17752 days ago · 85 km deep · 86 km away
- 4.1166 km SW of Vaini, Tonga · 17759 days ago · 64 km deep · 98 km away
- 4.8180 km SSW of Vaini, Tonga · 17760 days ago · 42 km deep · 81 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000te7. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 10:34 PM UTC.