Tonga earthquakes

M3.9 earthquake 52 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 52 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga on Thu, Nov 27, 2008, 5:05 AM GMT-11 (16:05 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.9 60 km S 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
3.9 (mb, body-wave), minor
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2008-11-27 16:05:48 UTC
Depth
10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
16.062° S, 173.322° 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 usp000gpj7. 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
138°
Stations used
10

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 14 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.2108 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6519 days ago · 10 km deep · 85 km away
  2. 4.678 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6519 days ago · 35 km deep · 49 km away
  3. 4.122 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6513 days ago · 35 km deep · 33 km away
  4. 4.3137 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 6511 days ago · 18 km deep · 88 km away
  5. 3.859 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6503 days ago · 77 km deep · 89 km away
  6. 4.434 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6498 days ago · 95 km deep · 76 km away
  7. 4.259 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6494 days ago · 10 km deep · 79 km away
  8. 4.090 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 6494 days ago · 35 km deep · 86 km away
  9. 4.886 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6488 days ago · 35 km deep · 81 km away
  10. 3.867 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6486 days ago · 177 km deep · 72 km away
  11. 4.090 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6485 days ago · 35 km deep · 72 km away
  12. 4.671 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6479 days ago · 81 km deep · 20 km away
  13. 4.466 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 6472 days ago · 81 km deep · 95 km away
  14. 4.960 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 6471 days ago · 69 km deep · 71 km away

Before

  1. 4.077 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 6522 days ago · 85 km deep · 82 km away
  2. 4.344 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6527 days ago · 96 km deep · 59 km away
  3. 3.994 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6531 days ago · 35 km deep · 67 km away
  4. 4.5120 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6535 days ago · 10 km deep · 72 km away
  5. 4.376 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6541 days ago · 144 km deep · 89 km away
  6. 4.861 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6548 days ago · 96 km deep · 55 km away
  7. 4.4122 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6548 days ago · 25 km deep · 82 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000gpj7. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 4:28 AM UTC.