Tonga earthquakes

M4.6 earthquake 66 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 66 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Aug 16, 2008, 3:12 AM GMT-11 (14:12 UTC), 15 km (9 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.3 77 km NE 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
4.6 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2008-08-16 14:12:40 UTC
Depth
15.0 km (9.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
16.303° S, 173.286° 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 usp000getq. 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
138°
Stations used
9

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.858 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 6615 days ago · 11 km deep · 57 km away
  2. 4.374 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 6608 days ago · 10 km deep · 56 km away
  3. 5.377 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6605 days ago · 10 km deep · 99 km away
  4. 4.058 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 6600 days ago · 51 km deep · 57 km away
  5. 5.3135 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6591 days ago · 10 km deep · 69 km away
  6. 5.216 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6586 days ago · 121 km deep · 64 km away
  7. 4.414 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6582 days ago · 107 km deep · 56 km away
  8. 4.494 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6565 days ago · 20 km deep · 31 km away
  9. 4.443 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6565 days ago · 72 km deep · 79 km away

Before

  1. 3.591 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6626 days ago · 35 km deep · 74 km away
  2. 4.5118 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6629 days ago · 10 km deep · 93 km away
  3. 4.1104 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 6643 days ago · 115 km deep · 57 km away
  4. 4.693 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6644 days ago · 10 km deep · 86 km away
  5. 4.2107 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6645 days ago · 45 km deep · 95 km away
  6. 4.4100 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 6647 days ago · 35 km deep · 71 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000getq. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 3:09 PM UTC.