M4.9 earthquake 93 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 93 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sun, Jan 6, 1980, 11:01 PM GMT-11 (10:01 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.2 112 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.9 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1980-01-07 10:01:49 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.152° S, 173.525° 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
- 27
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.2112 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17053 days ago · 33 km deep · 90 km away
- 4.8134 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17039 days ago · 37 km deep · 80 km away
- 5.292 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17020 days ago · 33 km deep · 11 km away
- 4.8136 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 17018 days ago · 33 km deep · 83 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00014wt. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 8:09 PM UTC.