M5.0 earthquake 86 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 86 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Jul 4, 1981, 7:42 AM GMT-11 (18:42 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-07-04 18:42:25 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.534° S, 173.255° 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 2.0 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.692 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 16499 days ago · 93 km deep · 49 km away
- 4.793 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16495 days ago · 35 km deep · 99 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001eh4. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 12:50 AM UTC.