M6.2 earthquake - 280 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

What happened

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 280 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on 6 Dec 1961, 13:35 UTC at a depth of 30 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 293 km away in Tongatapu, Tonga.