M4.9 earthquake 143 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 143 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga on Mon, Feb 12, 1979, 8:38 AM GMT-11 (19:38 UTC), 235 km (146 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 129 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.9 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-02-12 19:38:59 UTC
- Depth
- 235.0 km (146.0 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 15.420° S, 175.019° 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
- 38
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000ytr. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 2:40 PM UTC.