M5.1 earthquake 107 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 107 km ENE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga on Fri, May 16, 2008, 3:06 AM GMT+13 (14:06 UTC), 35 km (22 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.2 149 km SE 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
- 5.1 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2008-05-15 14:06:15 UTC
- Depth
- 35.0 km (21.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 20.839° S, 174.062° 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 usp000g6va. 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
- 72°
- Stations used
- 122
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.367 km NE of ‘Ohonua, Tonga · 6716 days ago · 10 km deep · 40 km away
- 4.671 km SE of Pangai, Tonga · 6678 days ago · 35 km deep · 57 km away
- 6.2149 km SE of Pangai, Tonga · 6674 days ago · 38 km deep · 75 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000g6va. Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 4:16 AM UTC.