Tonga earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 116 km N of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 116 km N of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, Sep 1, 1981, 11:30 PM GMT-11 (10:30 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.4 102 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Apia forecast More in Tonga

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.3 (mb), moderate
Local time: Tue, Sep 1, 1981, 11:30 PM GMT-11
UTC: 1981-09-02 10:30:52 UTC
Depth: 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 14.911° S, 173.683° 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. Forecast239 kmWSW

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 12 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 usp0001fms (also filed as gcmtb090281c, gcmt19810902103052, iscgem610831). Read Thu, Sep 24, 2026, 3:14 AM UTC.