M5.9 earthquake 255 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 255 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Fri, Aug 12, 1966, 12:25 PM GMT+13 (23:25 UTC), 39 km (24 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.1 275 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
- 5.9 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1966-08-11 23:25:40 UTC
- Depth
- 39.3 km (24.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 23.453° S, 175.963° 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 2.5 and up: 3 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 iscgem844371. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 11:33 AM UTC.