M4.7 earthquake 146 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 146 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga on Fri, Mar 21, 1980, 5:32 AM GMT-11 (16:32 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.4 Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.7 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1980-03-21 16:32:54 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.885° S, 172.827° 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
- 17
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.7 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000164p. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 9:54 PM UTC.