M5.4 earthquake 89 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 89 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Dec 26, 1979, 8:45 PM GMT-11 (07:45 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
- 5.4 (ms), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-12-27 07:45:25 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.450° S, 173.144° 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
- 60
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.4 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.993 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17060 days ago · 33 km deep · 53 km away
- 5.2112 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17047 days ago · 33 km deep · 38 km away
- 4.8134 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17033 days ago · 37 km deep · 46 km away
- 5.292 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17014 days ago · 33 km deep · 42 km away
- 4.8136 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17012 days ago · 33 km deep · 47 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00014qs (also filed as gcmtb122779a, gcmt19791227074525, iscgem654736). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:04 PM UTC.