M5.3 earthquake 117 km NW of Pangai, Tonga
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 117 km NW of Pangai, Tonga on Wed, Oct 29, 1980, 9:19 AM GMT+13 (20:19 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.0 162 km WNW of Pangai, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1980-10-28 20:19:26 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 19.131° S, 175.205° 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.
- Depth from
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
- Stations used
- 25
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.855 km WSW of Neiafu, Tonga · 16751 days ago · 113 km deep · 84 km away
- 4.5157 km W of Pangai, Tonga · 16750 days ago · 194 km deep · 98 km away
- 6.0162 km WNW of Pangai, Tonga · 16741 days ago · 202 km deep · 75 km away
- 4.9108 km W of Pangai, Tonga · 16717 days ago · 254 km deep · 70 km away
- 4.893 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 16714 days ago · 86 km deep · 86 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001aj3. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 11:07 AM UTC.