Reviewed by USGSNew Zealand7y ago
M4.7 earthquake in Kermadec Islands, New Zealand
Wednesday, October 30, 2019, 16:44:08 UTC · 30.223°S, 177.825°W
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck in Kermadec Islands, New Zealand on Wednesday, October 30, 2019, 16:44:08 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.7 on October 25, 2019.
- Magnitude
- 4.7
- Light · mb
- 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: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
169 tons of TNT
That is about 1/89 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 3 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
120 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 50 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.8 on November 10, 2019. 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 2,196 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 · 156 km SE of this epicenter
- 8.01976 Kermadec Islands, New Zealand EarthquakeJanuary 14, 1976 · 200 km N of this epicenter
- 7.7Kermadec Islands regionOctober 20, 1986 · 274 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.6Kermadec Islands regionJuly 6, 2011 · 162 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.5Kermadec Islands, New ZealandNovember 16, 1917 · 42 km N of this epicenter
- 7.4Kermadec Islands regionOctober 21, 2011 · 206 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.4Kermadec Islands regionMay 16, 2006 · 226 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.3Kermadec Islands regionSeptember 14, 1959 · 165 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 16 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1986M8.1
Raoul
20 Oct 1986 · 274 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1976M7.9
Kermadec Islands
14 Jan 1976 · 121 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1968M7.3
S Of, Raoul
25 Jul 1968 · 85 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1917M8.0
Kermadec Islands
1 May 1917 · 139 km away
tsunami
- 1976M7.8
Kermadec Islands
14 Jan 1976 · 67 km away · intensity VIII
- 1959M7.7
Kermadec Islands
14 Sep 1959 · 208 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.