280 km WNW of Houma, Tonga

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake — a major event — struck near 280 km WNW of Houma, Tonga on December 14, 1910, at a deep-focus depth of about 440 km. An earthquake this size would have been felt strongly across the surrounding region; deep-focus earthquakes rarely cause major surface damage despite their size. Casualties, damage and the recovery depend on local building standards, population and distance from the epicentre — the news coverage, references and photos below capture what happened on the ground.