M4.3 earthquake 75 km WSW of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck 75 km WSW of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Apr 27, 1979, 1:00 AM GMT-11 (12:00 UTC), 122 km (76 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.6 14 km W 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
- 4.3 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-04-27 12:00:47 UTC
- Depth
- 122.0 km (75.8 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 16.226° S, 174.448° 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: 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 usp00010ac. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 7:47 AM UTC.