Tonga earthquakes

M5.2 earthquake 250 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 250 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Fri, Dec 24, 1982, 5:50 PM GMT+13 (04:50 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.6 268 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 (ms), moderate
Local time
UTC
1982-12-24 04:50:08 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
23.566° S, 175.316° 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: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 42 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.1298 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15976 days ago · 33 km deep · 53 km away
  2. 5.1260 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15976 days ago · 33 km deep · 18 km away
  3. 5.6268 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15974 days ago · 33 km deep · 31 km away
  4. 5.3south of Tonga · 15972 days ago · 33 km deep · 77 km away
  5. 5.0235 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15971 days ago · 33 km deep · 22 km away
  6. 4.7265 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15956 days ago · 33 km deep · 57 km away
  7. 5.1299 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15950 days ago · 60 km deep · 64 km away

Before

  1. 4.8south of Tonga · 15979 days ago · 33 km deep · 76 km away
  2. 5.5259 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15979 days ago · 33 km deep · 20 km away
  3. 5.2296 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15979 days ago · 33 km deep · 48 km away
  4. 5.1177 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15979 days ago · 33 km deep · 91 km away
  5. 5.1south of the Fiji Islands · 15979 days ago · 33 km deep · 99 km away
  6. 5.3268 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15979 days ago · 33 km deep · 19 km away
  7. 5.4Tonga region · 15979 days ago · 33 km deep · 72 km away
  8. 4.7284 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15980 days ago · 33 km deep · 37 km away
  9. 5.2268 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15981 days ago · 33 km deep · 21 km away
  10. 5.4264 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15981 days ago · 42 km deep · 21 km away
  11. 5.1258 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15981 days ago · 33 km deep · 30 km away
  12. 5.5249 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15981 days ago · 33 km deep · 27 km away
  13. 5.8278 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15982 days ago · 33 km deep · 48 km away
  14. 6.3265 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15982 days ago · 33 km deep · 64 km away
  15. 5.2291 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15982 days ago · 33 km deep · 55 km away
  16. 4.8271 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15982 days ago · 33 km deep · 69 km away
  17. 5.1south of Tonga · 15982 days ago · 33 km deep · 94 km away
  18. 5.4257 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15982 days ago · 33 km deep · 25 km away
  19. 4.9295 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15982 days ago · 33 km deep · 56 km away
  20. 5.1275 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15982 days ago · 33 km deep · 29 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001rpu. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:40 AM UTC.