M4.1 earthquake 166 km SW of Vaini, Tonga
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck 166 km SW of Vaini, Tonga on Thu, Feb 16, 1978, 9:52 AM GMT+13 (20:52 UTC), 64 km (40 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.6 197 km SSW of Vaini, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.1 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-02-15 20:52:40 UTC
- Depth
- 64.0 km (39.8 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 22.326° S, 176.231° 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
- 9
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.6197 km SSW of Vaini, Tonga · 17750 days ago · 85 km deep · 41 km away
- 4.8159 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17729 days ago · 95 km deep · 98 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000szs. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 1:40 AM UTC.