Reviewed by USGSTonga65y ago
M7.5 earthquake 262 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga
Monday, May 21, 1962, 21:15:37 UTC · 20.088°S, 177.459°W
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck 262 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga on Monday, May 21, 1962, 21:15:37 UTC, at a depth of 390.0 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.8 on December 14, 1950.
- Magnitude
- 7.5
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 390 km
- Deep
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
2.4 megatons of TNT
That is about 161 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 5,070 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
134 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Tonga and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: deep
390 km
Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 41 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.0TongaJanuary 4, 1903 · 257 km E of this epicenter
- 7.8159 km W of Pangai, TongaDecember 14, 1950 · 171 km E of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 108 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 266 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.4227 km E of Levuka, FijiAugust 21, 1910 · 277 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.4Fiji regionSeptember 28, 1957 · 106 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.3227 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaApril 16, 1937 · 58 km S of this epicenter
- 7.3Fiji regionMay 25, 1944 · 264 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 8 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1937M8.1
Fiji Islands
16 Apr 1937 · 164 km away
- 1903M8.0
Tonga Islands
4 Jan 1903 · 257 km away
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 283 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 108 km away
tsunami
- 1950M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Dec 1950 · 166 km away · intensity VI
- 1957M7.5
Fiji Islands
28 Sep 1957 · 114 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.