December 19, 1982 Earthquake: Tonga Trench
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Tonga Trench on December 19, 1982 at 17:43:54 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.
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
- December 19, 1982
- Time
- 17:43:54 UTC
- Place
- Tonga Trench
- Magnitude
- 7.7 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 24.133° S, 175.864° W
- Country
- Tonga
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 1982The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1982Recent earthquakes near hereThis 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 4958.