Tonga earthquakes

M3.8 earthquake 102 km E of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 102 km E of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Jan 12, 2008, 3:28 AM GMT-11 (14:28 UTC), 35 km (22 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.4 58 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
3.8 (mb, body-wave), minor
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2008-01-12 14:28:30 UTC
Depth
35.0 km (21.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.947° S, 172.839° 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 usp000fwjb. 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.

Depth from
OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Station coverage gap
173°
Stations used
5

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.292 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 6839 days ago · 37 km deep · 16 km away
  2. 4.786 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6838 days ago · 35 km deep · 34 km away
  3. 5.355 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6830 days ago · 17 km deep · 98 km away
  4. 4.9112 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 6814 days ago · 10 km deep · 14 km away
  5. 5.458 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6803 days ago · 76 km deep · 93 km away
  6. 5.077 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6785 days ago · 50 km deep · 61 km away

Before

  1. 4.992 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6840 days ago · 35 km deep · 41 km away
  2. 4.676 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6850 days ago · 10 km deep · 94 km away
  3. 4.7118 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 6851 days ago · 35 km deep · 19 km away
  4. 3.862 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6853 days ago · 10 km deep · 68 km away
  5. 4.4106 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6860 days ago · 10 km deep · 76 km away
  6. 4.694 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6863 days ago · 10 km deep · 56 km away
  7. 4.574 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6863 days ago · 10 km deep · 59 km away
  8. 6.2147 km SSW of Lotofag?, Samoa · 6870 days ago · 17 km deep · 96 km away · felt by 3

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000fwjb. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 7:57 AM UTC.