Tonga earthquakes

M4.8 earthquake 91 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 91 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga on Thu, Apr 9, 2009, 7:14 AM GMT-11 (18:14 UTC), 15 km (9 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.8 39 km NE 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
2009-04-09 18:14:15 UTC
Depth
15.0 km (9.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
16.437° S, 173.100° 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 usp000gvyx. 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.

Station coverage gap
71°
Stations used
40

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.6119 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 6388 days ago · 35 km deep · 80 km away
  2. 4.5156 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6387 days ago · 35 km deep · 73 km away
  3. 4.451 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 6386 days ago · 100 km deep · 80 km away
  4. 4.4146 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6376 days ago · 10 km deep · 67 km away
  5. 4.5147 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6368 days ago · 27 km deep · 66 km away
  6. 4.5161 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6368 days ago · 65 km deep · 74 km away
  7. 5.839 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6353 days ago · 85 km deep · 87 km away · felt by 4
  8. 5.6101 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6350 days ago · 67 km deep · 60 km away
  9. 4.816 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 6345 days ago · 35 km deep · 79 km away
  10. 4.449 km S of Hihifo, Tonga · 6331 days ago · 90 km deep · 67 km away

Before

  1. 4.382 km E of Hihifo, Tonga · 6394 days ago · 63 km deep · 57 km away
  2. 5.048 km NE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6397 days ago · 58 km deep · 94 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000gvyx. Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 7:17 AM UTC.