M5.3 earthquake 279 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 279 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga on Thu, Jan 8, 1981, 5:16 AM GMT+13 (16:16 UTC), 467 km (290 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-01-07 16:16:39 UTC
- Depth
- 467.0 km (290.2 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 20.966° S, 177.898° 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.
- Stations used
- 61
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.2293 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 16670 days ago · 544 km deep · 64 km away
- 4.8Fiji region · 16668 days ago · 591 km deep · 89 km away
- 5.3Fiji region · 16652 days ago · 600 km deep · 76 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001bms. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 12:37 AM UTC.