M4.5 earthquake 131 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 131 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga on Sun, Nov 29, 1981, 4:32 PM GMT-12 (04:32 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.2 140 km NNE 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
- 4.5 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-11-30 04:32:52 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.822° S, 173.088° 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
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001h71. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 9:17 AM UTC.