M5.1 earthquake 48 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 48 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Wed, Oct 7, 1981, 7:48 AM GMT+13 (18:48 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.2 98 km NE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.1 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-10-06 18:48:09 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 21.316° S, 174.482° 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.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 2 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 usp0001gaj. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 7:34 PM UTC.