Tonga earthquakes

M4.8 earthquake 91 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 91 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga on Sun, Feb 15, 2009, 1:43 PM GMT-11 (00:43 UTC), 35 km (22 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.8 102 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.8 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2009-02-16 00:43:40 UTC
Depth
35.0 km (21.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
15.175° S, 173.507° 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 usp000gu24. 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
68°
Stations used
88

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 11 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.5123 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6422 days ago · 35 km deep · 37 km away
  2. 5.8102 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6421 days ago · 3 km deep · 21 km away
  3. 5.1103 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6421 days ago · 10 km deep · 13 km away
  4. 5.390 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6421 days ago · 10 km deep · 20 km away
  5. 5.1114 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6421 days ago · 10 km deep · 23 km away
  6. 4.794 km ENE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6420 days ago · 10 km deep · 66 km away
  7. 5.585 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6412 days ago · 35 km deep · 41 km away
  8. 5.287 km N of Hihifo, Tonga · 6403 days ago · 5 km deep · 22 km away
  9. 5.048 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6396 days ago · 58 km deep · 55 km away
  10. 4.382 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 6393 days ago · 63 km deep · 98 km away
  11. 4.461 km NNE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6388 days ago · 149 km deep · 34 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000gu24. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 3:27 PM UTC.