Tonga earthquakes

M5.0 earthquake 288 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 288 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga on Tue, Jun 16, 1981, 11:38 PM GMT+13 (10:38 UTC), 402 km (250 mi) below the surface.

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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
5.0 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
1981-06-16 10:38:53 UTC
Depth
402.0 km (249.8 mi), deep
Epicenter
20.062° S, 177.730° 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
CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.9292 km SE of Levuka, Fiji · 16540 days ago · 614 km deep · 96 km away
  2. 4.3276 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 16515 days ago · 486 km deep · 55 km away
  3. 4.7Fiji region · 16510 days ago · 605 km deep · 50 km away
  4. 4.8Fiji region · 16508 days ago · 409 km deep · 64 km away
  5. 4.3Fiji region · 16508 days ago · 318 km deep · 80 km away
  6. 4.6Fiji region · 16506 days ago · 541 km deep · 62 km away
  7. 4.9Fiji region · 16485 days ago · 423 km deep · 25 km away

Before

  1. 4.8236 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 16541 days ago · 342 km deep · 65 km away
  2. 5.2288 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 16543 days ago · 531 km deep · 60 km away
  3. 4.1Fiji region · 16546 days ago · 586 km deep · 95 km away
  4. 4.8278 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 16547 days ago · 510 km deep · 29 km away
  5. 4.7274 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga · 16555 days ago · 478 km deep · 80 km away
  6. 4.5Fiji region · 16564 days ago · 548 km deep · 57 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001e6e (also filed as gcmtb061681c, gcmt19810616103853, iscgem625284). Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 6:58 AM UTC.