Tonga earthquakes

M4.1 earthquake 253 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga

A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck 253 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga on Sun, Dec 21, 2008, 10:18 AM GMT+13 (21:18 UTC), 500 km (311 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.5 220 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Nuku‘alofa forecastMore in Tonga

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.1 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2008-12-20 21:18:01 UTC
Depth
500.3 km (310.9 mi), deep
Epicenter
20.377° S, 177.499° W
Region
Tonga
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

no people dead or missing; no people injured; no buildings damaged or destroyed

From the USGS event page for usp000gr21. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Station coverage gap
117°
Stations used
29

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 15 in the 60 days after this one and 13 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.2286 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6494 days ago · 532 km deep · 56 km away
  2. 4.7285 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6494 days ago · 551 km deep · 32 km away
  3. 3.8283 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6491 days ago · 568 km deep · 30 km away
  4. 4.5Fiji region · 6489 days ago · 436 km deep · 96 km away
  5. 4.5285 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6488 days ago · 534 km deep · 36 km away
  6. 4.1Fiji region · 6487 days ago · 532 km deep · 67 km away
  7. 3.8261 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6487 days ago · 562 km deep · 15 km away
  8. 4.2293 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6485 days ago · 595 km deep · 53 km away
  9. 3.7Fiji region · 6484 days ago · 607 km deep · 100 km away
  10. 4.3Fiji region · 6472 days ago · 558 km deep · 93 km away
  11. 4.7275 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6461 days ago · 521 km deep · 43 km away
  12. 4.2295 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6460 days ago · 488 km deep · 95 km away
  13. 5.4Fiji region · 6446 days ago · 544 km deep · 77 km away
  14. 5.5220 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6442 days ago · 10 km deep · 49 km away
  15. 4.5278 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6441 days ago · 502 km deep · 40 km away

Before

  1. 4.2Fiji region · 6498 days ago · 555 km deep · 90 km away
  2. 3.8Fiji region · 6499 days ago · 517 km deep · 83 km away
  3. 3.8265 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6502 days ago · 384 km deep · 62 km away
  4. 4.2Fiji region · 6502 days ago · 490 km deep · 60 km away
  5. 3.3264 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6503 days ago · 535 km deep · 19 km away
  6. 3.7Fiji region · 6507 days ago · 567 km deep · 87 km away
  7. 4.7Fiji region · 6508 days ago · 581 km deep · 95 km away
  8. 4.5253 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6509 days ago · 572 km deep · 60 km away
  9. 4.6170 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6510 days ago · 274 km deep · 93 km away
  10. 4.4243 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6510 days ago · 517 km deep · 16 km away
  11. 4.4Fiji region · 6513 days ago · 569 km deep · 97 km away
  12. 4.2269 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6515 days ago · 519 km deep · 24 km away
  13. 4.4297 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6524 days ago · 552 km deep · 76 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000gr21. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 9:40 AM UTC.