M4.8 earthquake 139 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 139 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga on Mon, Feb 19, 1979, 5:17 PM GMT+13 (04:17 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.1 100 km E 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
- 4.8 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-02-19 04:17:47 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.896° S, 173.674° 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
- 12
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.1100 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 17346 days ago · 33 km deep · 49 km away
- 4.685 km S of Pangai, Tonga · 17331 days ago · 33 km deep · 70 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000yx7. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:39 PM UTC.