Reviewed by USGSNew Zealand85y ago
M7.0 earthquake 25 km SE of Masterton, New Zealand
Wednesday, June 24, 1942, 11:16:30 UTC · 41.149°S, 175.834°E
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 25 km SE of Masterton, New Zealand on Wednesday, June 24, 1942, 11:16:30 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on March 5, 1934.
- Magnitude
- 7.0
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
477 kilotons of TNT
That is about 32 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,000 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
59 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Kermadec and Australian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
15 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 25 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.447 km WSW of Hastings, New ZealandFebruary 2, 1931 · 162 km N of this epicenter
- 7.340 km E of Waiouru, New ZealandFebruary 13, 1931 · 194 km N of this epicenter
- 7.368 km S of Wakefield, New ZealandJune 16, 1929 · 238 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.239 km SE of Palmerston North, New ZealandMarch 5, 1934 · 62 km N of this epicenter
- 6.9144 km SE of Waipawa, New ZealandAugust 8, 1904 · 146 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.962 km S of Gisborne, New ZealandSeptember 15, 1932 · 287 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.856 km SSE of Castlepoint, New ZealandAugust 5, 1917 · 58 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.75 km SSW of Hastings, New ZealandJune 28, 1921 · 183 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 14 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 264 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1931M7.7
Hawke Bay
2 Feb 1931 · 154 km away · intensity IX
261 deaths$25 million damagetsunami
- 1848M6.0
Awatere River, Marlborough
18 Oct 1848 · 164 km away
3 deathstsunami
- 1855M8.0
Wellington,Waiouru,Wanganui,Otaki
23 Jan 1855 · 71 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1932M6.8
Gisborne, Wairoa
15 Sep 1932 · 278 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1848M7.9
N.
15 Oct 1848 · 113 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1868M7.6
Tasman Sea
18 Oct 1868 · 261 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.