M5.2 earthquake 84 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 84 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Thu, Feb 5, 1981, 6:42 PM GMT-11 (05:42 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.4 76 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.2 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-02-06 05:42:59 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.394° S, 173.260° 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
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.8124 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16662 days ago · 33 km deep · 40 km away
- 5.476 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16652 days ago · 33 km deep · 9 km away
- 4.924 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 16646 days ago · 99 km deep · 97 km away
- 5.294 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16630 days ago · 33 km deep · 96 km away
- 4.98 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 16629 days ago · 146 km deep · 79 km away
- 4.8118 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16613 days ago · 33 km deep · 40 km away
- 4.9142 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16613 days ago · 33 km deep · 61 km away
- 4.9139 km SSW of Lotofag?, Samoa · 16613 days ago · 33 km deep · 95 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001c1z. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 5:50 PM UTC.