M4.5 earthquake 161 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 161 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga on Wed, Apr 29, 2009, 12:57 AM GMT-11 (11:57 UTC), 65 km (41 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.6 101 km SSE of Hihifo, 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
- 2009-04-29 11:57:41 UTC
- Depth
- 65.4 km (40.6 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 17.025° S, 172.772° 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 usp000gwp2. 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
- 69°
- Stations used
- 39
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.0135 km NE of Neiafu, Tonga · 6362 days ago · 35 km deep · 86 km away
- 5.6101 km SSE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6350 days ago · 67 km deep · 80 km away
Before
- 4.5147 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6368 days ago · 27 km deep · 79 km away
- 4.4146 km ESE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6376 days ago · 10 km deep · 83 km away
- 4.6Tonga · 6379 days ago · 10 km deep · 80 km away
- 4.5156 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6387 days ago · 35 km deep · 13 km away
- 4.891 km SE of Hihifo, Tonga · 6388 days ago · 15 km deep · 74 km away
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000gwp2. Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 8:14 AM UTC.