Tonga earthquakes

M5.4 earthquake 129 km SE of Pangai, Tonga

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 129 km SE of Pangai, Tonga on Mon, Dec 5, 1983, 8:30 AM GMT+13 (19:30 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.5 75 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Nuku‘alofa forecastMore in Tonga

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.4 (ms), moderate
Local time
UTC
1983-12-04 19:30:40 UTC
Depth
33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
20.742° S, 173.592° 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 2.4 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.3119 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15609 days ago · 50 km deep · 38 km away
  2. 5.575 km E of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 15584 days ago · 51 km deep · 96 km away

Before

  1. 5.283 km SE of Pangai, Tonga · 15635 days ago · 33 km deep · 47 km away
  2. 4.795 km SE of Pangai, Tonga · 15635 days ago · 33 km deep · 40 km away
  3. 4.4133 km ESE of Pangai, Tonga · 15638 days ago · 33 km deep · 74 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002096 (also filed as gcmtb120483a, gcmt19831204193040, iscgem562324). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:29 PM UTC.