World Map › Major Earthquakes Since 1900 › 1948
Historic Earthquake
1948 Tonga Earthquake
8 September 1948 · Tonga
On 8 September 1948 at 15:09 UTC, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Tonga, at a depth of 25 km. It occurred on the Tonga Plate, 41 km from its boundary with the Pacific Plate (subduction zone). It triggered a tsunami.
- Date
- 8 September 1948
- Time
- 15:09 UTC
- Magnitude
- 7.9
- Depth
- 25 km
- Tsunami
- Yes
- Plate
- Tonga Plate
- Country
- Tonga
- Nearest Volcano
- Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai (152 km)
Nearby Major Earthquakes
Other major earthquakes recorded within 300 km.
- 2022Tonga · M 7.3
- 20092009 Tonga Earthquake · M 7.6
- 20062006 Tonga Earthquake · M 7.9
- 19771977 Tonga Earthquake · M 7.21 deaths
- 1950Tonga · M 7.7
- 1913Tonga · M 7.6
- 1903Tonga · M 8.0
- 1902Tonga · M 7.8
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Significant Earthquake Database (doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K) · Wikidata · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Natural Earth