M4.5 earthquake 32 km N of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 32 km N of Neiafu, Tonga on Thu, May 22, 2008, 9:09 PM GMT+13 (08:09 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.2 71 km W of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.5 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2008-05-22 08:09:25 UTC
- Depth
- 4.6 km (2.9 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 18.354° S, 173.980° 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 usp000g7fu. 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
- FROM_LOCATION
- Station coverage gap
- 92°
- Stations used
- 16
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.666 km SW of Neiafu, Tonga · 6690 days ago · 9 km deep · 90 km away
- 5.181 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 6682 days ago · 73 km deep · 74 km away
- 5.163 km E of Neiafu, Tonga · 6681 days ago · 10 km deep · 74 km away
- 5.074 km ESE of Neiafu, Tonga · 6681 days ago · 10 km deep · 90 km away
- 5.271 km W of Neiafu, Tonga · 6681 days ago · 139 km deep · 81 km away
- 4.458 km E of Neiafu, Tonga · 6677 days ago · 35 km deep · 65 km away
- 4.4106 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 6666 days ago · 80 km deep · 83 km away
- 4.445 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 6658 days ago · 48 km deep · 27 km away
- 4.979 km ENE of Neiafu, Tonga · 6654 days ago · 22 km deep · 74 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000g7fu. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 9:52 PM UTC.