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Tonga earthquakes in 1969

13 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or more were located in Tonga in 1969. The largest: M6.2 123 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga, May 1, 1969.

From the USGS catalog. Times are local to each quake.

19681970

Map

Where every quake of 1969 was located in Tonga. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

Every quake of 1969

Magnitude 4.5 and up, newest first.

Month by month

Counted by UTC date, which is how the catalog files them.

MonthQuakesLargestWhere
January 196926.0279 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga
February 196915.587 km E of Hihifo, Tonga
March 196935.9162 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga
April 196915.9272 km WSW of Haveluloto, Tonga
May 196926.2123 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga
June 196915.8244 km S of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
July 19690
August 196915.696 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga
September 19690
October 196915.825 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga
November 196915.5146 km W of Pangai, Tonga
December 19690

What this means

The catalog is only as complete as the instruments of the time. Worldwide coverage of magnitude 5 and up dates from the 1960s, and of 4.5 from the 1990s; earlier years hold the large quakes and the ones near a station, so a low count in an early year means fewer instruments, not a quiet earth.

By year

Every year the USGS catalog covers.

Nearby

Tonga nowWorldwide in 1969

Sources

Earthquakes, magnitudes, depths, shaking estimates and felt reports from the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, read from its live feeds and its catalog back to 1900. Tsunami messages from NOAA’s tsunami warning centers.