Tonga earthquakes

M4.0 earthquake 90 km S of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck 90 km S of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, Dec 23, 2008, 5:16 AM GMT-11 (16:16 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.

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
4.0 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2008-12-23 16:16:25 UTC
Depth
35.0 km (21.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
16.760° S, 173.671° 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 usp000gr9d. 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
124°
Stations used
19

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.671 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6479 days ago · 81 km deep · 84 km away
  2. 4.960 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 6470 days ago · 69 km deep · 32 km away
  3. 4.7160 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 6459 days ago · 10 km deep · 98 km away
  4. 4.6116 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6456 days ago · 47 km deep · 59 km away
  5. 4.758 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 6454 days ago · 27 km deep · 36 km away
  6. 4.877 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 6449 days ago · 95 km deep · 15 km away
  7. 4.674 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6446 days ago · 10 km deep · 61 km away
  8. 4.9100 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6439 days ago · 12 km deep · 57 km away

Before

  1. 4.434 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6498 days ago · 95 km deep · 76 km away
  2. 4.881 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6501 days ago · 140 km deep · 77 km away
  3. 3.859 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6502 days ago · 77 km deep · 55 km away
  4. 4.122 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6512 days ago · 35 km deep · 76 km away
  5. 4.499 km SSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 6513 days ago · 104 km deep · 46 km away
  6. 3.952 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6519 days ago · 10 km deep · 86 km away
  7. 4.4Tonga · 6520 days ago · 131 km deep · 72 km away
  8. 4.077 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 6521 days ago · 85 km deep · 16 km away

Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000gr9d. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 11:40 AM UTC.