M5.3 earthquake 119 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 119 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Thu, Dec 29, 1983, 12:21 AM GMT+13 (11:21 UTC), 50 km (31 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 75 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1983-12-28 11:21:39 UTC
- Depth
- 49.6 km (30.8 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.964° S, 173.871° 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
- FROM_LOCATION
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.575 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15597 days ago · 51 km deep · 58 km away
- 4.987 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga · 15584 days ago · 33 km deep · 85 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00020vg. Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 7:56 AM UTC.