M4.8 earthquake 180 km SSW of Vaini, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 180 km SSW of Vaini, Tonga on Wed, Feb 15, 1978, 12:50 PM GMT+13 (23:50 UTC), 42 km (26 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
- 1978-02-14 23:50:04 UTC
- Depth
- 42.0 km (26.1 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 22.549° S, 176.138° 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
- 10
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.1166 km SW of Vaini, Tonga · 17756 days ago · 64 km deep · 27 km away
- 5.6197 km SSW of Vaini, Tonga · 17749 days ago · 85 km deep · 18 km away
- 4.8159 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17728 days ago · 95 km deep · 81 km away
- 5.7177 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17727 days ago · 33 km deep · 88 km away
- 4.7148 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17705 days ago · 33 km deep · 93 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000sz6. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 4:43 AM UTC.