Tonga earthquakes

M4.2 earthquake 286 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 286 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga on Mon, Dec 22, 2008, 1:37 AM GMT+13 (12:37 UTC), 532 km (331 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
4.2 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2008-12-21 12:37:50 UTC
Depth
532.2 km (330.7 mi), deep
Epicenter
20.685° S, 177.921° 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 usp000gr3v. 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
151°
Stations used
15

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 16 in the 60 days after this one and 17 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.7285 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6495 days ago · 551 km deep · 49 km away
  2. 3.8283 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6491 days ago · 568 km deep · 50 km away
  3. 4.5Fiji region · 6490 days ago · 436 km deep · 40 km away
  4. 4.5285 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6488 days ago · 534 km deep · 31 km away
  5. 4.1Fiji region · 6488 days ago · 532 km deep · 65 km away
  6. 3.8261 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6488 days ago · 562 km deep · 64 km away
  7. 4.2293 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6486 days ago · 595 km deep · 13 km away
  8. 3.7Fiji region · 6485 days ago · 607 km deep · 79 km away
  9. 4.3Fiji region · 6473 days ago · 558 km deep · 57 km away
  10. 4.7Fiji region · 6466 days ago · 457 km deep · 97 km away
  11. 4.7275 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6462 days ago · 521 km deep · 86 km away
  12. 4.2295 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6461 days ago · 488 km deep · 44 km away
  13. 5.4Fiji region · 6446 days ago · 544 km deep · 35 km away
  14. 5.5220 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6443 days ago · 10 km deep · 66 km away
  15. 4.5278 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6442 days ago · 502 km deep · 16 km away
  16. 4.6Fiji region · 6439 days ago · 582 km deep · 60 km away

Before

  1. 4.1253 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6495 days ago · 500 km deep · 56 km away
  2. 3.4Fiji region · 6497 days ago · 521 km deep · 97 km away
  3. 4.2Fiji region · 6499 days ago · 555 km deep · 61 km away
  4. 4.2Fiji region · 6503 days ago · 490 km deep · 40 km away
  5. 3.3264 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6504 days ago · 535 km deep · 36 km away
  6. 5.4Fiji region · 6506 days ago · 606 km deep · 92 km away
  7. 5.7Fiji region · 6506 days ago · 597 km deep · 100 km away
  8. 3.7Fiji region · 6508 days ago · 567 km deep · 73 km away
  9. 4.4243 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6511 days ago · 517 km deep · 53 km away
  10. 4.5Fiji region · 6512 days ago · 538 km deep · 82 km away
  11. 3.8Fiji region · 6514 days ago · 538 km deep · 97 km away
  12. 4.4Fiji region · 6514 days ago · 569 km deep · 53 km away
  13. 4.2269 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6515 days ago · 519 km deep · 32 km away
  14. 3.7Fiji region · 6522 days ago · 561 km deep · 46 km away
  15. 3.3Fiji region · 6523 days ago · 559 km deep · 50 km away
  16. 4.2Fiji region · 6525 days ago · 609 km deep · 66 km away
  17. 4.0286 km W of Haveluloto, Tonga · 6525 days ago · 568 km deep · 87 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000gr3v. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 5:57 AM UTC.