M5.2 earthquake 80 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 80 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Fri, Apr 14, 1978, 5:49 PM GMT+13 (04:49 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.8 59 km E 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
- 5.2 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-04-14 04:49:45 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 21.017° S, 174.255° 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
- 43
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.859 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17690 days ago · 33 km deep · 31 km away
- 4.975 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17689 days ago · 33 km deep · 32 km away
- 5.070 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17657 days ago · 33 km deep · 53 km away
- 4.964 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17656 days ago · 33 km deep · 65 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000u35. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 8:38 AM UTC.