M5.7 earthquake 60 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 60 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Fri, Aug 11, 1972, 4:31 AM GMT+13 (15:31 UTC), 20 km (12 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.1 68 km E 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
- 5.7 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1972-08-10 15:31:24 UTC
- Depth
- 20.0 km (12.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 21.350° S, 174.378° 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: 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 iscgem770453. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:14 PM UTC.