M4.8 earthquake 164 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 164 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga on Thu, May 7, 1981, 6:35 AM GMT+13 (17:35 UTC), 283 km (176 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 120 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.8 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-05-06 17:35:15 UTC
- Depth
- 283.4 km (176.1 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 20.901° S, 176.777° 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.
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 2 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 usp0001djc. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 5:21 AM UTC.