Tonga earthquakes

M4.8 earthquake 236 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 236 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga on Tue, Jun 16, 1981, 8:10 AM GMT+13 (19:10 UTC), 342 km (213 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.0 288 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Nuku‘alofa forecastMore in Tonga

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Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.8 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1981-06-15 19:10:56 UTC
Depth
342.4 km (212.8 mi), deep
Epicenter
19.974° S, 177.111° 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: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.0288 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 16540 days ago · 402 km deep · 65 km away
  2. 4.3276 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 16516 days ago · 486 km deep · 96 km away
  3. 4.7Fiji region · 16511 days ago · 605 km deep · 98 km away
  4. 4.6Fiji region · 16507 days ago · 541 km deep · 84 km away
  5. 5.0297 km NW of Nuku‘alofa, Tonga · 16503 days ago · 380 km deep · 90 km away
  6. 4.9Fiji region · 16486 days ago · 423 km deep · 90 km away

Before

  1. 4.8278 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 16547 days ago · 510 km deep · 76 km away
  2. 4.6177 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 16552 days ago · 285 km deep · 72 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001e64. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 9:03 PM UTC.