Reviewed by USGSNew Zealand85y ago
M6.8 earthquake 15 km SSE of Levin, New Zealand
Saturday, August 1, 1942, 12:34:06 UTC · 40.760°S, 175.355°E
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 15 km SSE of Levin, New Zealand on Saturday, August 1, 1942, 12:34:06 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on June 24, 1942.
- Magnitude
- 6.8
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- 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
239 kilotons of TNT
That is about 16 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 501 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
0 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
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 100 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 28 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 · 140 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.340 km E of Waiouru, New ZealandFebruary 13, 1931 · 163 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.368 km S of Wakefield, New ZealandJune 16, 1929 · 226 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.239 km SE of Palmerston North, New ZealandMarch 5, 1934 · 54 km E of this epicenter
- 7.025 km SE of Masterton, New ZealandJune 24, 1942 · 59 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.9144 km SE of Waipawa, New ZealandAugust 8, 1904 · 205 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.962 km S of Gisborne, New ZealandSeptember 15, 1932 · 288 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.856 km SSE of Castlepoint, New ZealandAugust 5, 1917 · 115 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 15 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 281 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1931M7.7
Hawke Bay
2 Feb 1931 · 124 km away · intensity IX
261 deaths$25 million damagetsunami
- 1929M7.5
South Island
16 Jun 1929 · 282 km away
17 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1848M6.0
Awatere River, Marlborough
18 Oct 1848 · 152 km away
3 deathstsunami
- 1855M8.0
Wellington,Waiouru,Wanganui,Otaki
23 Jan 1855 · 62 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1932M6.8
Gisborne, Wairoa
15 Sep 1932 · 268 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1848M7.9
N.
15 Oct 1848 · 94 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.