M5.1 earthquake 91 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 91 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Thu, May 31, 1979, 3:10 PM GMT-11 (02:10 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
- 5.1 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-06-01 02:10:04 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.448° 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
- 38
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.9117 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17270 days ago · 53 km deep · 27 km away
- 4.6107 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 17245 days ago · 33 km deep · 85 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000111b. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:35 PM UTC.