Reviewed by USGSNew Zealand93y ago
M7.2 earthquake 39 km SE of Palmerston North, New Zealand
Monday, March 5, 1934, 11:46:14 UTC · 40.600°S, 175.954°E
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 39 km SE of Palmerston North, New Zealand on Monday, March 5, 1934, 11:46:14 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.3 on February 13, 1931.
- Magnitude
- 7.2
- 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
951 kilotons of TNT
That is about 63 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,995 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
26 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 lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.3 on March 15, 1934. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 18 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 · 100 km N of this epicenter
- 7.340 km E of Waiouru, New ZealandFebruary 13, 1931 · 132 km N of this epicenter
- 7.368 km S of Wakefield, New ZealandJune 16, 1929 · 277 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.9144 km SE of Waipawa, New ZealandAugust 8, 1904 · 194 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.962 km S of Gisborne, New ZealandSeptember 15, 1932 · 238 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.856 km SSE of Castlepoint, New ZealandAugust 5, 1917 · 96 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.75 km SSW of Hastings, New ZealandJune 28, 1921 · 126 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.5105 km SSE of Hastings, New ZealandApril 22, 1931 · 131 km E 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 264 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1931M7.7
Hawke Bay
2 Feb 1931 · 92 km away · intensity IX
261 deaths$25 million damagetsunami
- 1848M6.0
Awatere River, Marlborough
18 Oct 1848 · 202 km away
3 deathstsunami
- 1855M8.0
Wellington,Waiouru,Wanganui,Otaki
23 Jan 1855 · 108 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1932M6.8
Gisborne, Wairoa
15 Sep 1932 · 222 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1848M7.9
N.
15 Oct 1848 · 145 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1868M7.6
Tasman Sea
18 Oct 1868 · 254 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.