M4.7 earthquake 131 km S of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 131 km S of Hihifo, Tonga on Thu, Nov 15, 1979, 12:16 AM GMT-12 (12:16 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.0 Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.7 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-11-15 12:16:15 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.134° S, 173.941° 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
- 6
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.7 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.0Tonga · 17118 days ago · 192 km deep · 76 km away
- 4.2109 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 17115 days ago · 123 km deep · 22 km away
- 4.7142 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 17101 days ago · 224 km deep · 89 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001418. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 6:24 PM UTC.