Tonga earthquakes

M5.8 earthquake 105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Mon, Aug 31, 1981, 8:23 PM GMT-11 (07:23 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M7.7 133 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

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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: 5.8 (mb), moderate
Local time: Mon, Aug 31, 1981, 8:23 PM GMT-11
UTC: 1981-09-01 07:23:02 UTC
Depth: 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 15.139° S, 173.288° 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.

Apia, SamoaPopulation 40,407. Forecast219 kmSW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.8 and up: 23 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

4.695 km N of Hihifo, TongaThu, Aug 20, 2:46 PM GMT-11 · 16474 days ago · 33 km deep · 61 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001fkw (also filed as gcmtb090181a, gcmt19810901072302, iscgem610755). Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 12:29 AM UTC.