M4.8 earthquake 58 km S of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 58 km S of Hihifo, Tonga on Sat, Aug 23, 2008, 4:48 AM GMT-11 (15:48 UTC), 11 km (7 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.2 16 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.8 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2008-08-23 15:48:22 UTC
- Depth
- 10.9 km (6.8 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 16.486° S, 173.785° 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 usp000gfba. 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
- FROM_LOCATION
- Station coverage gap
- 124°
- Stations used
- 14
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.058 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 6601 days ago · 51 km deep · 1 km away
- 5.216 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6588 days ago · 121 km deep · 44 km away
- 4.3138 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6586 days ago · 89 km deep · 88 km away
- 4.414 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6584 days ago · 107 km deep · 46 km away
- 4.494 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6566 days ago · 20 km deep · 67 km away
- 4.443 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6566 days ago · 72 km deep · 35 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000gfba. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 9:04 PM UTC.