M5.2 earthquake 68 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 68 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Thu, Dec 10, 1981, 1:01 AM GMT+13 (12:01 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.2 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-12-09 12:01:21 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 21.310° S, 174.292° 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 2.2 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.994 km ENE of Kolonga, Tonga · 16355 days ago · 33 km deep · 70 km away
- 4.4122 km ESE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 16348 days ago · 33 km deep · 66 km away
- 4.8135 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 16321 days ago · 33 km deep · 68 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001hba. Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 6:02 AM UTC.