Reviewed by USGSNew Zealand101y ago
M6.2 earthquake 54 km NNE of Gisborne, New Zealand
Friday, February 25, 1927, 15:41:21 UTC · 38.218°S, 178.290°E
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 54 km NNE of Gisborne, New Zealand on Friday, February 25, 1927, 15:41:21 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.7 on June 28, 1921.
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- 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
33 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 70 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
101 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 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 4 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.044 km N of Whakatane, New ZealandNovember 22, 1914 · 142 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.75 km SSW of Hastings, New ZealandJune 28, 1921 · 206 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.748 km ENE of Opotiki, New ZealandOctober 6, 1914 · 53 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.4224 km E of Gisborne, New ZealandOctober 28, 1914 · 209 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1914
North Island
6 Oct 1914 · 47 km away · intensity VIII
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1904M7.5
E Of North Island
8 Aug 1904 · 277 km away
tsunami
- 1880M7.0
Gisborne
8 Sep 1880 · 86 km away
tsunami
- 1895M6.0
Taupo
18 Aug 1895 · 209 km away
tsunami
- 1855M5.5
New Zealand
11 Feb 1855 · 125 km away
tsunami
- 1831
North Island: Poverty Bay
1831 · 59 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.