August 6, 1949 Earthquake: Tonga Islands

Name: August 6, 1949 Earthquake: Tonga Islands
Start: 1949-08-06
Location: Tonga Islands

August 6, 1949 · M6.9

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Tonga Islands on August 6, 1949 at 00:35:39 UTC, 65 km below the surface.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date: August 6, 1949
Time: 00:35:39 UTC
Place: Tonga Islands
Magnitude: 6.9 (Mw)
Focal depth: 65 km (40 mi)
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 19.103° S, 174.378° W
Country: Tonga

The toll

The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

Reference #130 lists epicenter 18.5 S, 174.5 W, depth 70, magnitude 7.5.

Reference #1002 lists epicenter 20 S, 175 W, magnitude 7.5

Reference #10476 lists epicenter 19.103 S, 174.378 W, depth 65, Mw 6.88

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1949 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1949 Recent earthquakes near here This day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 3916.