Reviewed by USGSNew Zealand5y ago
M4.7 earthquake in Kermadec Islands, New Zealand
Tuesday, June 29, 2021, 12:30:35 UTC · 30.682°S, 178.546°W
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck in Kermadec Islands, New Zealand on Tuesday, June 29, 2021, 12:30:35 UTC, at a depth of 89.9 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.0 on June 26, 2021.
- Magnitude
- 4.7
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 90 km
- Intermediate
- 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
72 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: intermediate
90 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 M4.4 on July 4, 2021. 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 2,460 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 · 189 km E of this epicenter
- 8.12021 Kermadec Islands, New Zealand EarthquakeMarch 4, 2021 · 162 km NE of this epicenter
- 8.01976 Kermadec Islands, New Zealand EarthquakeJanuary 14, 1976 · 265 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6Kermadec Islands regionJuly 6, 2011 · 247 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.5Kermadec Islands, New ZealandNovember 16, 1917 · 115 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.4Kermadec Islands, New ZealandMarch 4, 2021 · 131 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.4Kermadec Islands regionOctober 21, 2011 · 291 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.4south of the Kermadec IslandsJune 18, 2020 · 297 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 17 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1976M7.9
Kermadec Islands
14 Jan 1976 · 197 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1968M7.3
S Of, Raoul
25 Jul 1968 · 19 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2021M8.1
Sse Of Raoul Island
4 Mar 2021 · 161 km away · intensity IX
tsunami
- 1917M8.0
Kermadec Islands
1 May 1917 · 222 km away
tsunami
- 1976M7.8
Kermadec Islands
14 Jan 1976 · 152 km away · intensity VIII
- 1959M7.7
Kermadec Islands
14 Sep 1959 · 285 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.