M5.0 earthquake 60 km S of Pangai, Tonga
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 60 km S of Pangai, Tonga on Sun, Aug 16, 1987, 1:44 PM GMT+13 (00:44 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-08-16 00:44:03 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.362° S, 174.361° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 4.97 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.0 | 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.: 9S, 15C Centroid Location: Origin Time 00:44: 8.6 1.7 Lat 20.78S 0.21 Lon 174.18W 0.22 Dep 33.0 FIX Half-duration 1.5 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**16 Nm Mrr=3.12 0.32 Mtt=-0.28 0.43 Mff=-2.84 0.49 Mrt=-0.63 1.18 Mrf=1.92 1.84 Mtf=-0.43 0.45 Principal Axes: (T) Val=3.81 Plg=71 Azm=238 (N) Val=-0.39 Plg=11 Azm=1 (P) Val=-3.42 Plg=16 Azm=95 Best Double Couple:Mo=3.6*10**16 NP1:Strike=200 Dip=31 Slip=112 NP2:Strike=355 Dip=61 Slip=78
From the USGS event page for usp00037jy. 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
- 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: 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 usp00037jy (also filed as gcmtb081687a, gcmt19870816004403, iscgem459886). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 11:42 AM UTC.