M6.3 earthquake - 284 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

What happened

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 284 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on 20 Dec 1982, 02:58 UTC at a depth of 32 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Strong. Can cause damage in populated areas up to tens of kilometres away. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Nuku‘alofa, about 297 km away in Tongatapu, Tonga.