M5.0 earthquake 31 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 31 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga on Mon, Nov 12, 1979, 8:21 AM GMT+13 (19:21 UTC), 45 km (28 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.1 70 km W 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
- 5.0 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-11-11 19:21:02 UTC
- Depth
- 45.0 km (28.0 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 18.560° S, 174.264° 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
- 20
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00013z4. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 8:00 PM UTC.