M5.3 earthquake 290 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 290 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Sun, Dec 13, 1981, 12:57 AM GMT+13 (11:57 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
- 5.3 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-12-12 11:57:26 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 23.849° S, 175.760° 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 2.3 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001hcm. Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 10:00 PM UTC.