Tonga earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 62 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 62 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, Oct 21, 2008, 5:14 AM GMT-11 (16:14 UTC), 37 km (23 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
4.5 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2008-10-21 16:14:27 UTC
Depth
36.8 km (22.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.401° S, 173.678° 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 usp000gkrt. 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
128°
Stations used
22

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 12 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.376 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6541 days ago · 144 km deep · 17 km away
  2. 6.093 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6538 days ago · 121 km deep · 63 km away
  3. 5.592 km NNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6538 days ago · 140 km deep · 61 km away
  4. 4.3111 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 6536 days ago · 35 km deep · 50 km away
  5. 3.994 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6530 days ago · 35 km deep · 71 km away
  6. 4.344 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6526 days ago · 96 km deep · 24 km away
  7. 3.952 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6519 days ago · 10 km deep · 83 km away
  8. 4.2108 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6518 days ago · 10 km deep · 75 km away
  9. 4.678 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6518 days ago · 35 km deep · 66 km away
  10. 4.122 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6512 days ago · 35 km deep · 76 km away
  11. 4.434 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6498 days ago · 95 km deep · 94 km away
  12. 4.190 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 6497 days ago · 35 km deep · 29 km away

Before

  1. 4.486 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6558 days ago · 10 km deep · 32 km away
  2. 4.289 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 6560 days ago · 38 km deep · 30 km away
  3. 5.683 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6568 days ago · 10 km deep · 24 km away
  4. 5.279 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6574 days ago · 10 km deep · 20 km away
  5. 4.194 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 6576 days ago · 10 km deep · 32 km away
  6. 4.414 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6582 days ago · 107 km deep · 76 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000gkrt. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 10:56 AM UTC.