World Map › Major Earthquakes Since 1900 › 1981
Historic Earthquake
1981 Samoa Earthquake
1 September 1981 · Apia, American Samoa · Samoa
On 1 September 1981 at 09:29 UTC, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Samoa (Apia, American Samoa), at a depth of 25 km. It occurred on the Tonga Plate, 34 km from its boundary with the Pacific Plate (subduction zone). It triggered a tsunami.
- Date
- 1 September 1981
- Time
- 09:29 UTC
- Magnitude
- 7.7
- Depth
- 25 km
- Maximum Intensity
- VI (Mercalli)
- Tsunami
- Yes
- Plate
- Tonga Plate
- Country
- Samoa
- Nearest Volcano
- West Mata (73 km)
Nearby Major Earthquakes
Other major earthquakes recorded within 300 km.
- 2023Hihifo · M 7.6
- 20092009 Samoa Earthquake · M 8.1192 deaths
- 1995Apia, American Samoa · M 7.4
- 1977Apia · M 7.6
- 1975Samoa · M 7.8
- 1957Samoa · M 7.5
- 1917Samoa · M 8.32 deaths
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Significant Earthquake Database (doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K) · Wikidata · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Natural Earth