Tonga earthquakes

M4.1 earthquake 22 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck 22 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Dec 3, 2008, 3:16 PM GMT-11 (02:16 UTC), 35 km (22 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
4.1 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2008-12-04 02:16:46 UTC
Depth
35.0 km (21.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
16.080° S, 173.633° 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 usp000gpwc. 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
118°
Stations used
13

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 9 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 3.859 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6503 days ago · 77 km deep · 60 km away
  2. 4.881 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6502 days ago · 140 km deep · 87 km away
  3. 4.434 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6499 days ago · 95 km deep · 43 km away
  4. 4.259 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6494 days ago · 10 km deep · 72 km away
  5. 4.090 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 6494 days ago · 35 km deep · 76 km away
  6. 4.886 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6489 days ago · 35 km deep · 90 km away
  7. 3.867 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6487 days ago · 177 km deep · 74 km away
  8. 4.090 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6486 days ago · 35 km deep · 89 km away
  9. 4.671 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6480 days ago · 81 km deep · 50 km away
  10. 4.466 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 6473 days ago · 81 km deep · 83 km away
  11. 4.960 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 6471 days ago · 69 km deep · 50 km away
  12. 4.5110 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 6459 days ago · 10 km deep · 96 km away
  13. 4.6116 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6457 days ago · 47 km deep · 95 km away
  14. 4.758 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 6455 days ago · 27 km deep · 50 km away

Before

  1. 4.499 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6514 days ago · 104 km deep · 95 km away
  2. 4.678 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6519 days ago · 35 km deep · 71 km away
  3. 3.952 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6520 days ago · 10 km deep · 33 km away
  4. 4.4Tonga · 6521 days ago · 131 km deep · 79 km away
  5. 4.077 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 6522 days ago · 85 km deep · 66 km away
  6. 4.344 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6527 days ago · 96 km deep · 53 km away
  7. 3.994 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6531 days ago · 35 km deep · 89 km away
  8. 4.5120 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6536 days ago · 10 km deep · 99 km away
  9. 4.376 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6542 days ago · 144 km deep · 87 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000gpwc. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 2:07 PM UTC.