M5.0 earthquake 147 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 147 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga on Fri, Jul 17, 1981, 4:55 AM GMT-12 (16:55 UTC), 83 km (51 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-07-17 16:55:46 UTC
- Depth
- 82.5 km (51.3 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 17.411° S, 174.490° 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
- FROM_LOCATION
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001esa. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 2:21 PM UTC.