M5.1 earthquake 155 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 155 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Thu, May 31, 1979, 6:45 PM GMT+13 (05:45 UTC), 104 km (65 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 117 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.1 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-05-31 05:45:54 UTC
- Depth
- 104.0 km (64.6 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 22.684° S, 175.375° 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
- 58
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.3117 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17268 days ago · 33 km deep · 43 km away
- 4.4134 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17252 days ago · 51 km deep · 22 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000110y. Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 6:19 AM UTC.