June 22, 1977 Earthquake: Tonga Trench

Name: June 22, 1977 Earthquake: Tonga Trench
Start: 1977-06-22
Location: Tonga Trench

June 22, 1977 · M7.2 · 1 death · $1.2 million

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Tonga Trench on June 22, 1977 at 12:08:33 UTC, 65 km below the surface. It killed 1 person.

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: June 22, 1977
Time: 12:08:33 UTC
Place: Tonga Trench
Magnitude: 7.2 (Ms)
Focal depth: 65 km (40 mi)
Intensity: 4 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 22.878° S, 175.900° W
Country: Tonga

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 5
Damage: $1.2 million

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

Reference #1250 (EM-DAT) lists 1 death, 5 injuries.

Reference #1053 (USGS PDE) lists 2 injuries and extensive damage on Tonga Islands.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1977 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1977 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 4777.