M5.0 earthquake 243 km W of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 243 km W of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Mar 24, 1979, 12:07 PM GMT-12 (00:07 UTC), 381 km (237 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-03-25 00:07:07 UTC
- Depth
- 381.0 km (236.7 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 16.285° S, 176.047° 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
- CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES
- Stations used
- 56
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
None recorded.
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000znf. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 3:22 AM UTC.