M4.5 earthquake 133 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 133 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga on Sun, Apr 15, 1979, 2:44 AM GMT+13 (13:44 UTC), 177 km (110 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.6 77 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.5 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-04-14 13:44:24 UTC
- Depth
- 177.0 km (110.0 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 18.291° S, 175.195° 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
- 11
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.677 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 17315 days ago · 55 km deep · 60 km away
- 5.3177 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 17285 days ago · 275 km deep · 83 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000zzs. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:04 PM UTC.