Reviewed by USGS68y ago
M7.3 earthquake in Kermadec Islands region
Monday, September 14, 1959, 14:09:46 UTC · 28.840°S, 177.209°W
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck in Kermadec Islands region on Monday, September 14, 1959, 14:09:46 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.5 on February 27, 1955.
- Magnitude
- 7.3
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1.4 megatons of TNT
That is about 92 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2,917 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
113 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Kermadec and Pacific plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
35 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 200 km
USGS lists 8 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.8 on September 15, 1959. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 6.4Kermadec Islands region67y ago · 51 km E of this epicenter
- 5.9Kermadec Islands region68y ago · 105 km E of this epicenter
- 6.2Kermadec Islands region68y ago · 69 km E of this epicenter
- 5.6Kermadec Islands region68y ago · 38 km SE of this epicenter
- 5.7Kermadec Islands, New Zealand68y ago · 48 km S of this epicenter
- 6.8Kermadec Islands region68y ago · 52 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.1Kermadec Islands region68y ago · 11 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.3Kermadec Islands region68y ago · 24 km N of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 86 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.21917 Kermadec Islands, New Zealand EarthquakeMay 1, 1917 · 267 km S of this epicenter
- 7.5Kermadec Islands regionFebruary 27, 1955 · 167 km E of this epicenter
- 7.5Kermadec Islands, New ZealandNovember 16, 1917 · 128 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.2Kermadec Islands, New ZealandAugust 2, 1941 · 111 km S of this epicenter
- 7.2Kermadec Islands, New ZealandApril 17, 1919 · 208 km S of this epicenter
- 7.1Kermadec Islands, New ZealandJune 29, 1910 · 230 km S of this epicenter
- 7.1Kermadec Islands, New ZealandSeptember 16, 1941 · 70 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.0Kermadec Islands, New ZealandSeptember 14, 1943 · 154 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 5 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1917M8.0
Kermadec Islands
1 May 1917 · 45 km away
tsunami
- 1955M7.8
Kermadec Islands
27 Feb 1955 · 191 km away
- 1959M7.7
Kermadec Islands
14 Sep 1959 · 43 km away
- 1943M7.6
S Of
14 Sep 1943 · 131 km away
- 1917M7.5
S Of
16 Nov 1917 · 33 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.