Tonga earthquakes

M5.2 earthquake 239 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 239 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Mon, Dec 20, 1982, 8:19 AM GMT+13 (19:19 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.4 283 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Nuku‘alofa forecastMore in Tonga

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.2 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
1982-12-19 19:19:52 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
23.141° S, 176.218° 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: 20 in the 60 days after this one and 10 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.4283 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15982 days ago · 39 km deep · 97 km away
  2. 5.0284 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15982 days ago · 33 km deep · 76 km away
  3. 6.3284 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15982 days ago · 32 km deep · 69 km away
  4. 4.9295 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15982 days ago · 33 km deep · 98 km away
  5. 5.4257 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15982 days ago · 33 km deep · 84 km away
  6. 4.8222 km SW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15982 days ago · 33 km deep · 18 km away
  7. 4.8271 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15981 days ago · 33 km deep · 54 km away
  8. 5.2291 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15981 days ago · 33 km deep · 94 km away
  9. 6.3265 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15981 days ago · 33 km deep · 53 km away
  10. 5.8278 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15981 days ago · 33 km deep · 82 km away
  11. 5.1258 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15981 days ago · 33 km deep · 79 km away
  12. 5.4264 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15980 days ago · 42 km deep · 94 km away
  13. 5.4Tonga region · 15979 days ago · 33 km deep · 89 km away
  14. 5.1177 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15979 days ago · 33 km deep · 71 km away
  15. 5.5259 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15978 days ago · 33 km deep · 90 km away
  16. 5.1260 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15976 days ago · 33 km deep · 94 km away
  17. 5.6268 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15973 days ago · 33 km deep · 88 km away
  18. 5.0235 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15971 days ago · 33 km deep · 84 km away
  19. 4.7265 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15956 days ago · 33 km deep · 60 km away
  20. 5.1299 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15950 days ago · 60 km deep · 96 km away

Before

  1. 5.6286 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15982 days ago · 33 km deep · 95 km away
  2. 5.3Tonga region · 15987 days ago · 33 km deep · 97 km away
  3. 5.7252 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15996 days ago · 50 km deep · 40 km away
  4. 5.4251 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15996 days ago · 70 km deep · 56 km away
  5. 5.0253 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15997 days ago · 33 km deep · 97 km away
  6. 5.3Tonga region · 15999 days ago · 69 km deep · 71 km away
  7. 4.9228 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 16004 days ago · 33 km deep · 32 km away
  8. 4.8269 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 16008 days ago · 33 km deep · 56 km away
  9. 4.9234 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 16008 days ago · 33 km deep · 4 km away
  10. 5.5299 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 16010 days ago · 33 km deep · 95 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001rjc. Read Mon, Sep 21, 2026, 11:27 PM UTC.