M5.6 earthquake 278 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 278 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Wed, Sep 14, 1966, 11:53 AM GMT+13 (22:53 UTC), 22 km (13 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.9 255 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1966-09-13 22:53:56 UTC
- Depth
- 21.6 km (13.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 23.804° S, 175.442° 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
- ±0.53
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.6 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 iscgem843451. Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 9:40 AM UTC.