Tonga earthquakes

M5.5 earthquake 74 km WSW of Neiafu, Tonga

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 74 km WSW of Neiafu, Tonga on Sat, Aug 28, 1971, 5:09 PM GMT+13 (04:09 UTC), 145 km (90 mi) below the surface.

Nuku‘alofa forecastMore in Tonga

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
5.5 (mw), moderate
Local time
UTC
1971-08-28 04:09:07 UTC
Depth
144.6 km (89.9 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
19.013° S, 174.584° 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
±0.36
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: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

None recorded.

Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem781694. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:05 AM UTC.