M4.9 earthquake 276 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 276 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga on Sun, Aug 30, 1981, 12:21 AM GMT+13 (11:21 UTC), 557 km (346 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.8 Fiji region. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.9 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-08-29 11:21:44 UTC
- Depth
- 557.2 km (346.2 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 20.422° S, 177.750° 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
- FROM_LOCATION
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.7Fiji region · 16457 days ago · 355 km deep · 94 km away
- 5.8Fiji region · 16428 days ago · 620 km deep · 99 km away
- 5.1Fiji region · 16427 days ago · 455 km deep · 96 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001fjf. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 10:32 PM UTC.