Tonga

A magnitude 8.0 earthquake — a great event — struck near Tonga on January 4, 1903, at a deep-focus depth of about 400 km. An earthquake this size would have been felt strongly across the surrounding region; deep-focus earthquakes rarely cause major surface damage despite their size. Casualties, damage and the recovery depend on local building standards, population and distance from the epicentre — the news coverage, references and photos below capture what happened on the ground.