M6.1 earthquake - 275 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga

What happened

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 275 km SSW of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on 20 Aug 1966, 22:55 UTC at a depth of 43 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 291 km away in Tongatapu, Tonga.