M4.8 earthquake 86 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 86 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sun, Dec 28, 2008, 2:38 PM GMT-11 (01:38 UTC), 35 km (22 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.8 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2008-12-29 01:38:15 UTC
- Depth
- 35.0 km (21.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 15.338° S, 173.303° 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 usp000grrf. 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
- 69°
- Stations used
- 27
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 3.867 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6487 days ago · 177 km deep · 22 km away
- 4.090 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6486 days ago · 35 km deep · 20 km away
- 4.671 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6480 days ago · 81 km deep · 95 km away
- 4.8103 km SSW of Gataivai, Samoa · 6475 days ago · 60 km deep · 96 km away
- 4.466 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 6473 days ago · 81 km deep · 55 km away
- 4.5110 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 6459 days ago · 10 km deep · 81 km away
- 4.891 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6440 days ago · 35 km deep · 28 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000grrf. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 6:48 PM UTC.