Reviewed by USGS6y ago
M5.0 earthquake south of the Kermadec Islands
Saturday, July 18, 2020, 12:00:46 UTC · 33.372°S, 177.799°W
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck south of the Kermadec Islands on Saturday, July 18, 2020, 12:00:46 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on July 13, 2020.
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 10 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: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
477 tons of TNT
That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
8 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Kermadec and Pacific plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
10 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 75 km
USGS lists 7 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.9 on July 20, 2020. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.6south of the Kermadec Islands6y ago · 36 km N of this epicenter
- 4.5south of the Kermadec Islands6y ago · 25 km W of this epicenter
- 4.8south of the Kermadec Islands6y ago · 34 km N of this epicenter
- 4.5south of the Kermadec Islands6y ago · 21 km N of this epicenter
- 4.4south of the Kermadec Islands6y ago · 49 km W of this epicenter
- 4.5south of the Kermadec Islands6y ago · 36 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.9south of the Kermadec Islands6y ago · 19 km S of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,299 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 · 265 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.4south of the Kermadec IslandsJune 18, 2020 · 10 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.4Kermadec Islands regionMay 16, 2006 · 224 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.3Kermadec Islands, New ZealandJuly 25, 1968 · 288 km N of this epicenter
- 7.1Kermadec Islands, New ZealandJune 29, 1910 · 282 km N of this epicenter
- 7.1south of the Kermadec IslandsMay 25, 1997 · 265 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.0Kermadec Islands, New ZealandMay 20, 1968 · 289 km N of this epicenter
- 6.9Kermadec Islands, New ZealandMay 20, 1968 · 293 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 4 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1968M7.3
S Of, Raoul
25 Jul 1968 · 292 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2020M7.4
S Of, Raoul
18 Jun 2020 · 10 km away · intensity VII
tsunami
- 2019M7.2
S Of, Raoul
15 Jun 2019 · 287 km away
tsunami
- 2013M6.5
S Of, Raoul
30 Sep 2013 · 276 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.