M6.8 earthquake near Nuku‘alofa, Tongatapu
13083 d ago · 21 Dec 1990, 05:29 UTC 74 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga
What happened
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 74 km SSE of Pangai, Tonga on 21 Dec 1990, 05:29 UTC at a depth of 13 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 131 km away in Tongatapu, Tonga.
Timeline
First reported by USGS
16 Oct 2026, 20:46 UTC
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