Tonga earthquakes

M4.2 earthquake 119 km NW of Pangai, Tonga

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 119 km NW of Pangai, Tonga on Fri, Aug 10, 1979, 11:48 PM GMT+13 (10:48 UTC), 200 km (124 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.6 104 km WNW 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
4.2 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1979-08-10 10:48:05 UTC
Depth
200.0 km (124.3 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
19.064° S, 175.171° 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
11

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 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 usp00012b7. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 10:52 PM UTC.