M5.2 earthquake 71 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 71 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga on Sun, Dec 21, 1980, 3:52 AM GMT+13 (14:52 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.2 (ms), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1980-12-20 14:52:16 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.136° S, 173.757° 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
- 12
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.8125 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 16716 days ago · 33 km deep · 80 km away
- 5.1130 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 16710 days ago · 33 km deep · 85 km away
- 4.553 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga · 16691 days ago · 33 km deep · 39 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001bce. Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 9:38 PM UTC.