Tonga earthquakes

M5.5 earthquake 102 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 102 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, Sep 1, 1981, 9:44 PM GMT-11 (08:44 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.5 (ms), moderate
Local time: Tue, Sep 1, 1981, 9:44 PM GMT-11
UTC: 1981-09-02 08:44:21 UTC
Depth: 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 15.474° S, 172.977° 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. Forecast224 kmSW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 14 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 usp0001fmp (also filed as gcmtb090281a, gcmt19810902084421, iscgem610824). Read Thu, Sep 24, 2026, 9:59 AM UTC.