Tonga earthquakes

M4.6 earthquake 86 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 86 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Thu, Sep 18, 2008, 10:47 PM GMT-11 (09:47 UTC), 35 km (22 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.0 93 km NNW 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
2008-09-19 09:47:19 UTC
Depth
35.0 km (21.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.241° S, 173.469° 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 usp000ghbd. 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
124°
Stations used
60

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 13 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.414 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6582 days ago · 107 km deep · 98 km away
  2. 4.194 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 6576 days ago · 10 km deep · 22 km away
  3. 5.279 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6574 days ago · 10 km deep · 9 km away
  4. 5.683 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6568 days ago · 10 km deep · 5 km away
  5. 4.289 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 6560 days ago · 38 km deep · 36 km away
  6. 4.486 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6558 days ago · 10 km deep · 7 km away
  7. 4.562 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6556 days ago · 37 km deep · 29 km away
  8. 4.4122 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6548 days ago · 25 km deep · 91 km away
  9. 4.376 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6541 days ago · 144 km deep · 12 km away
  10. 6.093 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6538 days ago · 121 km deep · 82 km away
  11. 5.592 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6538 days ago · 140 km deep · 80 km away
  12. 4.3111 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 6536 days ago · 35 km deep · 42 km away
  13. 3.994 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6530 days ago · 35 km deep · 57 km away

Before

  1. 4.283 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6589 days ago · 35 km deep · 8 km away
  2. 4.088 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6589 days ago · 10 km deep · 3 km away
  3. 4.2103 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 6592 days ago · 10 km deep · 42 km away
  4. 4.293 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6600 days ago · 10 km deep · 16 km away
  5. 5.377 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6605 days ago · 10 km deep · 24 km away
  6. 4.374 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 6608 days ago · 10 km deep · 76 km away
  7. 5.197 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6617 days ago · 10 km deep · 29 km away
  8. 4.6137 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 6617 days ago · 15 km deep · 81 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000ghbd. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 1:07 PM UTC.