M4.1 earthquake 138 km W of Neiafu, Tonga
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck 138 km W of Neiafu, Tonga on Tue, Dec 30, 2008, 12:12 PM GMT+13 (23:12 UTC), 255 km (158 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.0 90 km NW of Pangai, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.1 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2008-12-29 23:12:31 UTC
- Depth
- 254.8 km (158.3 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 18.690° S, 175.295° 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 usp000grtr. 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
- 185°, poorly surrounded by stations
- Stations used
- 14
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.090 km NW of Pangai, Tonga · 6483 days ago · 150 km deep · 69 km away · felt by 4
- 4.5134 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 6472 days ago · 214 km deep · 52 km away
- 4.5132 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 6466 days ago · 264 km deep · 95 km away
- 4.658 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 6460 days ago · 42 km deep · 91 km away
- 4.2120 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 6455 days ago · 238 km deep · 99 km away
- 4.9118 km W of Neiafu, Tonga · 6431 days ago · 175 km deep · 28 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000grtr. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 6:22 PM UTC.