Tonga earthquakes

M5.0 earthquake 285 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 285 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga on Fri, Dec 14, 1984, 1:17 PM GMT+13 (00:17 UTC), 464 km (288 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.3 269 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.0 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
1984-12-14 00:17:20 UTC
Depth
464.1 km (288.4 mi), deep
Epicenter
20.920° S, 177.948° 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.

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002a0e. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:57 AM UTC.