Tonga earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 260 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 260 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Sun, Dec 26, 1982, 6:41 PM GMT+13 (05:41 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
5.1 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
1982-12-26 05:41:28 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
23.633° S, 175.473° 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: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 47 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.6268 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15982 days ago · 33 km deep · 14 km away
  2. 5.3south of Tonga · 15980 days ago · 33 km deep · 80 km away
  3. 5.0235 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15979 days ago · 33 km deep · 25 km away
  4. 4.7265 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15964 days ago · 33 km deep · 41 km away
  5. 5.1299 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15958 days ago · 60 km deep · 47 km away
  6. 5.1south of Tonga · 15934 days ago · 33 km deep · 93 km away

Before

  1. 5.1298 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15984 days ago · 33 km deep · 52 km away
  2. 5.2250 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15986 days ago · 33 km deep · 18 km away
  3. 4.8south of Tonga · 15987 days ago · 33 km deep · 63 km away
  4. 5.5259 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15987 days ago · 33 km deep · 3 km away
  5. 5.2296 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15987 days ago · 33 km deep · 36 km away
  6. 5.1177 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15987 days ago · 33 km deep · 94 km away
  7. 5.1south of the Fiji Islands · 15987 days ago · 33 km deep · 82 km away
  8. 5.3268 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15987 days ago · 33 km deep · 13 km away
  9. 5.4Tonga region · 15987 days ago · 33 km deep · 55 km away
  10. 4.7284 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15988 days ago · 33 km deep · 25 km away
  11. 5.2268 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15989 days ago · 33 km deep · 27 km away
  12. 5.4264 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15989 days ago · 42 km deep · 4 km away
  13. 5.1258 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15989 days ago · 33 km deep · 15 km away
  14. 5.5249 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15989 days ago · 33 km deep · 44 km away
  15. 5.8278 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15990 days ago · 33 km deep · 30 km away
  16. 6.3265 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15990 days ago · 33 km deep · 48 km away
  17. 5.2291 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15990 days ago · 33 km deep · 38 km away
  18. 4.8271 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15990 days ago · 33 km deep · 54 km away
  19. 5.1south of Tonga · 15990 days ago · 33 km deep · 89 km away
  20. 5.4257 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15990 days ago · 33 km deep · 10 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001rre. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 10:48 AM UTC.