Tonga earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 111 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 111 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, Sep 1, 1981, 4:24 AM GMT-11 (15:24 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.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.1 (ms), moderate
Local time
UTC
1981-09-01 15:24:36 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.231° S, 173.071° 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 2.1 and up: 18 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.6101 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 29 km away
  2. 5.788 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16462 days ago · 33 km deep · 26 km away
  3. 5.6104 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16462 days ago · 33 km deep · 11 km away
  4. 4.9115 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16462 days ago · 33 km deep · 30 km away
  5. 4.4126 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 16462 days ago · 33 km deep · 75 km away
  6. 4.8136 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16462 days ago · 33 km deep · 63 km away
  7. 4.8127 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16462 days ago · 33 km deep · 17 km away
  8. 5.5102 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16462 days ago · 33 km deep · 29 km away
  9. 5.3116 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16462 days ago · 33 km deep · 75 km away
  10. 4.7116 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16461 days ago · 33 km deep · 16 km away
  11. 4.7154 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16460 days ago · 33 km deep · 100 km away
  12. 4.9104 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16453 days ago · 33 km deep · 63 km away
  13. 4.8110 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16447 days ago · 33 km deep · 6 km away
  14. 4.737 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16441 days ago · 123 km deep · 75 km away
  15. 4.8107 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 16427 days ago · 33 km deep · 97 km away
  16. 4.772 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16425 days ago · 33 km deep · 68 km away
  17. 5.4102 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16421 days ago · 33 km deep · 10 km away
  18. 4.9126 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16414 days ago · 48 km deep · 35 km away

Before

  1. 4.8112 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 32 km away
  2. 4.5126 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 72 km away
  3. 5.2113 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 39 km away
  4. 5.6105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 22 km away
  5. 7.7133 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 25 km deep · 30 km away
  6. 5.8105 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 16463 days ago · 33 km deep · 25 km away
  7. 4.695 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 16474 days ago · 33 km deep · 85 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001fm5. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 5:55 AM UTC.