M5.2 earthquake 78 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 78 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Feb 3, 1979, 3:09 PM GMT-11 (02:09 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
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
- 1979-02-04 02:09:42 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.669° S, 173.121° 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
- 68
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.793 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17395 days ago · 33 km deep · 30 km away
- 5.0114 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17384 days ago · 33 km deep · 79 km away
- 4.4104 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 17352 days ago · 33 km deep · 95 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000ypt. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:28 PM UTC.