Thirty-five earthquakes with a magnitude of 4 or more were recorded across Tonga in January, reports the latest Tonga Geological Services Seismic Bulletin released today.

Twelve of these earthquakes occurred in shallow water with an average of 4.7 magnitude. Eight earthquakes also occurred in intermediate waters with 4.6 average magnitude, and 16 were recorded in deep water with a 4.4 average magnitude.

The highest magnitude earthquake for the month was 5.2 with the lowest recorded at 4.1.

No felt earthquakes were reported.

The earthquakes occurred randomly throughout Tongan waters with deep earthquakes located on the western side of Tonga and shallow earthquakes on the east.

The earthquakes were directly related to the subduction zone, which is a region of the Earth’s crust where tectonic plates overlap.

Tonga is located within the Pacific Ring of Fire zone where there are active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. New topographical maps reveal the interesting features of Tonga seabed along the deep Tonga Trench.