Tonga earthquakes

M5.6 earthquake 105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Mon, Aug 31, 1981, 10:59 PM GMT-11 (09:59 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.7 88 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Apia forecast More in Tonga

Map

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.6 (mb), moderate
Local time: Mon, Aug 31, 1981, 10:59 PM GMT-11
UTC: 1981-09-01 09:59:32 UTC
Depth: 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 15.154° S, 173.264° 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. Forecast218 kmSW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.6 and up: 21 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Tonga earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001fky (also filed as iscgem610761). Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 2:42 AM UTC.