Tonga earthquakes

M4.4 earthquake 94 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck 94 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sun, Oct 12, 2008, 3:25 AM GMT-11 (14:25 UTC), 20 km (12 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.8 61 km SSE 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
4.4 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2008-10-12 14:25:28 UTC
Depth
19.8 km (12.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
16.550° S, 173.161° 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 usp000gk2x. 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
144°
Stations used
15

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.443 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6566 days ago · 72 km deep · 97 km away
  2. 4.861 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6548 days ago · 96 km deep · 48 km away
  3. 4.5120 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6536 days ago · 10 km deep · 40 km away
  4. 4.7150 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6530 days ago · 35 km deep · 65 km away
  5. 4.077 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 6522 days ago · 85 km deep · 67 km away
  6. 3.952 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6520 days ago · 10 km deep · 57 km away
  7. 4.678 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6519 days ago · 35 km deep · 99 km away
  8. 4.122 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6514 days ago · 35 km deep · 73 km away
  9. 4.3137 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 6512 days ago · 18 km deep · 98 km away

Before

  1. 4.414 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6583 days ago · 107 km deep · 82 km away
  2. 5.216 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6587 days ago · 121 km deep · 89 km away
  3. 5.3135 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6592 days ago · 10 km deep · 46 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000gk2x. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 2:31 PM UTC.