M4.2 earthquake 48 km S of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 48 km S of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Oct 13, 1979, 7:49 PM GMT-11 (06:49 UTC), 68 km (42 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 113 km ESE 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
- 4.2 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-10-14 06:49:59 UTC
- Depth
- 68.0 km (42.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.388° S, 173.716° 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: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.5113 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17153 days ago · 33 km deep · 93 km away
- 5.194 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17145 days ago · 22 km deep · 59 km away
- 4.767 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17136 days ago · 33 km deep · 23 km away
- 5.2115 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 17126 days ago · 91 km deep · 79 km away
- 4.7131 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 17125 days ago · 33 km deep · 86 km away
- 4.084 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17121 days ago · 33 km deep · 57 km away
- 4.588 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17121 days ago · 33 km deep · 57 km away
- 4.589 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17121 days ago · 33 km deep · 69 km away
- 4.2109 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 17118 days ago · 123 km deep · 66 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00013dd. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 6:03 AM UTC.