Reviewed by USGS4y ago
M4.7 earthquake in Kermadec Islands region
Wednesday, January 12, 2022, 16:59:48 UTC · 28.225°S, 177.591°W
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck in Kermadec Islands region on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, 16:59:48 UTC, at a depth of 36.7 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.1 on January 8, 2022.
- Magnitude
- 4.7
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 37 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
91 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
37 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 M4.6 on February 6, 2022. 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 2,183 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.12021 Kermadec Islands, New Zealand EarthquakeMarch 4, 2021 · 169 km S of this epicenter
- 8.01976 Kermadec Islands, New Zealand EarthquakeJanuary 14, 1976 · 23 km S of this epicenter
- 7.8south of the Fiji IslandsDecember 9, 2007 · 248 km N of this epicenter
- 7.7Kermadec Islands regionOctober 20, 1986 · 121 km E of this epicenter
- 7.6Kermadec Islands regionJuly 6, 2011 · 190 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.5Kermadec Islands regionFebruary 27, 1955 · 195 km E of this epicenter
- 7.5Kermadec Islands, New ZealandNovember 16, 1917 · 182 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4Kermadec Islands, New ZealandMarch 4, 2021 · 163 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 21 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1986M8.1
Raoul
20 Oct 1986 · 121 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1976M7.9
Kermadec Islands
14 Jan 1976 · 108 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1968M7.3
S Of, Raoul
25 Jul 1968 · 297 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2021M8.1
Sse Of Raoul Island
4 Mar 2021 · 171 km away · intensity IX
tsunami
- 1917M8.0
Kermadec Islands
1 May 1917 · 123 km away
tsunami
- 1955M7.8
Kermadec Islands
27 Feb 1955 · 207 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.