Tonga earthquakes

M5.0 earthquake 235 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 235 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Fri, Dec 31, 1982, 4:38 PM GMT+13 (03:38 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.1 299 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
5.0 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
1982-12-31 03:38:47 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
23.410° S, 175.445° 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 2.0 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 42 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.7265 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15956 days ago · 33 km deep · 47 km away
  2. 5.1299 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15950 days ago · 60 km deep · 68 km away
  3. 5.0298 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15915 days ago · 50 km deep · 97 km away

Before

  1. 5.3south of Tonga · 15972 days ago · 33 km deep · 98 km away
  2. 5.6268 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15974 days ago · 33 km deep · 34 km away
  3. 5.1260 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15976 days ago · 33 km deep · 25 km away
  4. 5.1298 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15976 days ago · 33 km deep · 73 km away
  5. 5.2250 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15978 days ago · 33 km deep · 22 km away
  6. 4.8south of Tonga · 15978 days ago · 33 km deep · 88 km away
  7. 5.5259 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15979 days ago · 33 km deep · 24 km away
  8. 5.2296 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15979 days ago · 33 km deep · 61 km away
  9. 5.1177 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15979 days ago · 33 km deep · 70 km away
  10. 5.3268 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15979 days ago · 33 km deep · 35 km away
  11. 5.4Tonga region · 15979 days ago · 33 km deep · 73 km away
  12. 4.7284 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15980 days ago · 33 km deep · 50 km away
  13. 5.2268 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15980 days ago · 33 km deep · 43 km away
  14. 5.4264 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15981 days ago · 42 km deep · 29 km away
  15. 5.1258 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15981 days ago · 33 km deep · 26 km away
  16. 5.5249 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15981 days ago · 33 km deep · 45 km away
  17. 5.8278 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15981 days ago · 33 km deep · 48 km away
  18. 6.3265 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15982 days ago · 33 km deep · 53 km away
  19. 5.2291 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15982 days ago · 33 km deep · 59 km away
  20. 4.8271 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15982 days ago · 33 km deep · 59 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001rwu. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 5:38 AM UTC.