M6.3 earthquake 23 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 23 km SSE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Thu, Aug 13, 1953, 5:13 AM GMT+12:20 (16:53 UTC), 25 km (16 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.3 (mw), strong
- Local time
- UTC
- 1953-08-12 16:53:49 UTC
- Depth
- 25.0 km (15.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 21.519° S, 174.834° 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.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.20
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 3.3 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem891911. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 10:37 PM UTC.