Reviewed by USGSNew Zealand Earthquake51y ago
M8.0 earthquake 1976 Kermadec Islands, New Zealand Earthquake
Wednesday, January 14, 1976, 16:47:33 UTC · 28.427°S, 177.657°W
A magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck 1976 Kermadec Islands, New Zealand Earthquake on Wednesday, January 14, 1976, 16:47:33 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 8.0
- Great · ms
- Depth
- 33 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 400 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
15 megatons of TNT
That is about 1,002 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 31,623 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
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
33 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 400 km
USGS lists 82 M2.5+ earthquakes within 400 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.3 on January 14, 1976. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 5.0Kermadec Islands region51y ago · 108 km E of this epicenter
- 4.8Kermadec Islands, New Zealand51y ago · 134 km S of this epicenter
- 5.2Kermadec Islands region51y ago · 146 km SE of this epicenter
- 5.0Kermadec Islands region51y ago · 52 km W of this epicenter
- 4.7Kermadec Islands region51y ago · 137 km E of this epicenter
- 5.6Kermadec Islands, New Zealand51y ago · 119 km S of this epicenter
- 5.0Kermadec Islands, New Zealand51y ago · 95 km S of this epicenter
- 5.0Kermadec Islands, New Zealand51y ago · 212 km S of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 253 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.5Kermadec Islands regionFebruary 27, 1955 · 202 km E of this epicenter
- 7.5Kermadec Islands, New ZealandNovember 16, 1917 · 159 km S of this epicenter
- 7.3Kermadec Islands regionSeptember 14, 1959 · 63 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.3Kermadec Islands, New ZealandMarch 26, 1963 · 174 km S of this epicenter
- 7.3Kermadec Islands, New ZealandJuly 25, 1968 · 268 km S of this epicenter
- 7.3south of the Fiji IslandsJanuary 20, 1970 · 283 km N of this epicenter
- 7.2Kermadec Islands regionJuly 2, 1974 · 181 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2Kermadec Islands, New ZealandAugust 2, 1941 · 151 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1976M7.9
Kermadec Islands
14 Jan 1976 · 87 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1968M7.3
S Of, Raoul
25 Jul 1968 · 273 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1917M8.0
Kermadec Islands
1 May 1917 · 107 km away
tsunami
- 1955M7.8
Kermadec Islands
27 Feb 1955 · 217 km away
- 1976M7.8
Kermadec Islands
14 Jan 1976 · 172 km away · intensity VIII
- 1959M7.7
Kermadec Islands
14 Sep 1959 · 65 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.