M5.5 earthquake 90 km SE of Pangai, Tonga
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 90 km SE of Pangai, Tonga on Mon, Dec 17, 1979, 10:27 AM GMT+13 (21:27 UTC), 39 km (24 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (ms), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-12-16 21:27:56 UTC
- Depth
- 39.0 km (24.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.395° S, 173.741° 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
- CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES
- Stations used
- 46
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
None recorded.
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00014jf (also filed as gcmtb121679a, gcmt19791216212756, iscgem654278). Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 1:01 PM UTC.