Tonga earthquakes

M4.8 earthquake 288 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 288 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga on Mon, Dec 8, 1975, 8:34 PM GMT+13 (07:34 UTC), 93 km (58 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.1 278 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Nuku‘alofa forecastMore in Tonga

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Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.8 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1975-12-08 07:34:05 UTC
Depth
93.0 km (57.8 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
17.895° S, 176.600° W
Region
Tonga
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Stations used
9

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000duz. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:29 PM UTC.