M4.6 earthquake 134 km WNW of Pangai, Tonga
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 134 km WNW of Pangai, Tonga on Thu, Mar 8, 1979, 1:33 PM GMT+13 (00:33 UTC), 264 km (164 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 146 km WNW of Pangai, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.6 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-03-08 00:33:49 UTC
- Depth
- 264.0 km (164.0 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 19.549° S, 175.609° 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
- 10
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 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 usp0000z73. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:42 PM UTC.