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Strong mag. 6.3 earthquake - South Pacific Ocean, 231 km southwest of Nuku\'alofa, Tongatapu, on Tuesday, 23 March 1971 at 02:15 (GMT)
Strong magnitude 6.3 earthquake at 73 km depth
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Date & time: 23 Mar 1971 02:15:27 UTC
Magnitude: 6.3Depth: 72.6 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 23.024°S / 176.147°W
(
South Pacific Ocean,
Tonga)
Nearest volcano:
Ata Volcanic Complex (77 km / 48 mi)
Nearby towns and cities:225 km (140 mi) SSW of ‘Ohonua (Ohonua) (pop: 1,240) -->
See nearby quakes!231 km (144 mi) SSW of Nuku'alofa (pop: 22,400) -->
See nearby quakes!231 km (144 mi) SSW of Nuku‘alofa (pop: 22,400) -->
See nearby quakes!238 km (148 mi) SSW of Kolonga (pop: 1,100) -->
See nearby quakes!402 km (250 mi) SSW of Pangai (pop: 1,740) -->
See nearby quakes!Primary data source:
USGS (United States Geological Survey)
Estimated released energy: 1.8 x 10
14 joules (49.4 gigawatt hours, equivalent to 42502 tons of TNT or 2.7 atomic bombs!)
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Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies
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| Magnitude | Depth | Location | Source |
| M 6.3 | 73 km | south of the Fiji Islands (Tonga) | USGS |
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Aftershocks
More info
Based on its magnitude, the fault that was active during the quake ruptured along a surface of approx. 200 km
2 (=77 sqare miles) as a first-order estimate. The length of the rupture zone thus was probably around 24 km (15 mi).
Aftershocks typically occur during the weeks and months following the quake at or near the same fault, at distances of up to approx. two times the length of the rupture zone.
The often broadly linear arrangement of aftershock epicenters encompasses the rupture zone of the main shock (check on the
map below to verify).
Earlier earthquakes in the same area
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