Tonga earthquakes

M4.0 earthquake 56 km SW of Pangai, Tonga

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck 56 km SW of Pangai, Tonga on Wed, Jul 25, 1979, 3:51 AM GMT+13 (14:51 UTC), 173 km (107 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.3 49 km SE of Pangai, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Nuku‘alofa forecastMore in Tonga

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Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.0 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1979-07-24 14:51:14 UTC
Depth
173.0 km (107.5 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
20.196° S, 174.718° 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
8

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000121f. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 10:34 PM UTC.