M5.2 earthquake 70 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 70 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Dec 7, 1979, 8:01 PM GMT-11 (07:01 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.4 89 km NE 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
- 5.2 (Ms, surface-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-12-08 07:01:26 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.413° S, 173.455° 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
- 26
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.489 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17080 days ago · 33 km deep · 34 km away
- 4.993 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17069 days ago · 33 km deep · 30 km away
- 5.2112 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17055 days ago · 33 km deep · 71 km away
- 5.338 km W of Hihifo, Tonga · 17054 days ago · 155 km deep · 99 km away
- 4.8134 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17042 days ago · 37 km deep · 75 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00014cw. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 11:13 AM UTC.