M5.0 earthquake 74 km SE of Pangai, Tonga
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 74 km SE of Pangai, Tonga on Thu, Aug 2, 1979, 11:46 PM GMT+13 (10:46 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 49 km SE 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
- 5.0 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-08-02 10:46:10 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.252° S, 173.816° 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
- 31
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.349 km SE of Pangai, Tonga · 17212 days ago · 76 km deep · 25 km away
- 4.922 km NE of Pangai, Tonga · 17189 days ago · 33 km deep · 80 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000126r. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 9:38 AM UTC.