Tonga earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 120 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 120 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, Nov 11, 2008, 6:32 AM GMT-11 (17:32 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.0 194 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

Apia forecastMore in Tonga

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
4.5 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2008-11-11 17:32:02 UTC
Depth
10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
16.460° S, 172.795° 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 usp000gnft. 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
136°
Stations used
12

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 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.7150 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6529 days ago · 35 km deep · 30 km away
  2. 3.952 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6519 days ago · 10 km deep · 72 km away
  3. 4.678 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6518 days ago · 35 km deep · 95 km away
  4. 4.122 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6512 days ago · 35 km deep · 99 km away
  5. 4.3137 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 6510 days ago · 18 km deep · 66 km away
  6. 5.0194 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6494 days ago · 35 km deep · 96 km away
  7. 4.8186 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6494 days ago · 35 km deep · 97 km away
  8. 4.090 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 6493 days ago · 35 km deep · 99 km away
  9. 4.6163 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6492 days ago · 35 km deep · 43 km away
  10. 4.7164 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6492 days ago · 35 km deep · 44 km away
  11. 4.2162 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6479 days ago · 10 km deep · 41 km away
  12. 4.671 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6479 days ago · 81 km deep · 51 km away

Before

  1. 4.861 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6547 days ago · 96 km deep · 86 km away
  2. 4.4122 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6548 days ago · 25 km deep · 94 km away

Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000gnft. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 11:40 AM UTC.