M6.0 earthquake 92 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 92 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Fri, Dec 11, 1987, 3:03 PM GMT+13 (02:03 UTC), 37 km (23 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.0 (Mw, moment), strong
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-12-11 02:03:09 UTC
- Depth
- 36.9 km (22.9 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 22.156° S, 174.797° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 6.0 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 6.0 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 16S, 40C Centroid Location: Origin Time 02:03:16.8 0.4 Lat 21.89S 0.03 Lon 174.52W 0.03 Dep 26.6 BDY Half-duration 3.8 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=7.75 0.14 Mtt=-0.85 0.17 Mff=-6.90 0.21 Mrt=4.10 0.39 Mrf=7.85 0.54 Mtf=-4.03 0.16 Principal Axes: (T) Val=11.57 Plg=67 Azm=299 (N) Val=1.17 Plg=1 Azm=207 (P) Val=-12.74 Plg=23 Azm=117 Best Double Couple:Mo=1.2*10**18 NP1:Strike=205 Dip=22 Slip=88 NP2:Strike=27 Dip=68 Slip=91
From the USGS event page for usp0003b5y. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
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 3.0 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
None recorded.
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003b5y (also filed as gcmtb121187a, gcmt19871211020315, iscgem450333). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 7:16 PM UTC.