M5.0 earthquake 216 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 216 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga on Sun, Oct 11, 1981, 3:25 AM GMT+13 (14:25 UTC), 157 km (97 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.2 239 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-10-10 14:25:17 UTC
- Depth
- 156.9 km (97.5 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 18.060° S, 175.939° 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
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
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 usp0001gcv. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 2:55 PM UTC.