M5.2 earthquake 296 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 296 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga on Thu, Aug 9, 1979, 10:33 AM GMT+13 (21:33 UTC), 368 km (229 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 Fiji region. 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
- 1979-08-08 21:33:32 UTC
- Depth
- 368.0 km (228.7 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 19.709° S, 177.608° 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
- 70
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.0274 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 17205 days ago · 456 km deep · 55 km away
- 5.3Fiji region · 17153 days ago · 612 km deep · 95 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00012a3. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:35 PM UTC.