Tonga earthquakes

M4.6 earthquake 137 km N of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 137 km N of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Aug 20, 2008, 8:14 PM GMT-11 (07:14 UTC), 15 km (9 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.6 83 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
4.6 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2008-08-21 07:14:28 UTC
Depth
15.0 km (9.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
14.726° S, 174.006° 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 usp000gf51. 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
195°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
19

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.293 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6600 days ago · 10 km deep · 65 km away
  2. 4.2103 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 6592 days ago · 10 km deep · 40 km away
  3. 4.088 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6589 days ago · 10 km deep · 81 km away
  4. 4.283 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6589 days ago · 35 km deep · 76 km away
  5. 4.686 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6588 days ago · 35 km deep · 81 km away
  6. 4.194 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 6577 days ago · 10 km deep · 60 km away
  7. 5.279 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6574 days ago · 10 km deep · 80 km away
  8. 5.683 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6568 days ago · 10 km deep · 78 km away
  9. 4.289 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 6560 days ago · 38 km deep · 52 km away
  10. 4.486 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6558 days ago · 10 km deep · 88 km away

Before

  1. 4.3109 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6619 days ago · 83 km deep · 30 km away
  2. 6.1101 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6619 days ago · 8 km deep · 70 km away
  3. 4.592 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 6619 days ago · 10 km deep · 57 km away
  4. 5.7129 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6619 days ago · 10 km deep · 84 km away
  5. 4.562 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6629 days ago · 10 km deep · 75 km away
  6. 3.995 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 6646 days ago · 83 km deep · 43 km away
  7. 4.3108 km NW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6647 days ago · 145 km deep · 60 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000gf51. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 5:59 PM UTC.