QuakeScout
Magnitude4.8

Reviewed by USGSNew Zealand42y ago

M4.8 earthquake 174 km ENE of Tairua, New Zealand

Monday, January 14, 1985, 04:46:42 UTC · 36.401°S, 177.653°E

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 174 km ENE of Tairua, New Zealand on Monday, January 14, 1985, 04:46:42 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.8 on January 13, 1985.

Magnitude
4.8
Light · mb
Depth
33 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 earthquake

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

239 tons of TNT

That is about 1/63 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 2 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

8 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 50 km

USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 123 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.746 km E of Gisborne, New ZealandMarch 25, 1947 · 265 km S of this epicenter
  2. 7.682 km ENE of Gisborne, New ZealandMay 17, 1947 · 253 km SE of this epicenter
  3. 7.044 km N of Whakatane, New ZealandNovember 22, 1914 · 145 km SW of this epicenter
  4. 6.8150 km N of Opotiki, New ZealandDecember 30, 1984 · 32 km SW of this epicenter
  5. 6.8south of the Kermadec IslandsJanuary 8, 1970 · 200 km NE of this epicenter
  6. 6.748 km ENE of Opotiki, New ZealandOctober 6, 1914 · 170 km S of this epicenter
  7. 6.6off the east coast of the North Island of New ZealandFebruary 13, 1938 · 171 km E of this epicenter
  8. 6.4east of the North Island of New ZealandSeptember 22, 1930 · 245 km E of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 7 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1914

    North Island

    6 Oct 1914 · 163 km away · intensity VIII

    1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  2. 1932M6.8

    Gisborne, Wairoa

    15 Sep 1932 · 289 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  3. 1947M7.1

    Off Coast North Island

    25 Mar 1947 · 293 km away · intensity IV

    Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  4. 1880M7.0

    Gisborne

    8 Sep 1880 · 292 km away

    tsunami

  5. 1947M6.9

    Off Coast North Island

    17 May 1947 · 249 km away

    tsunami

  6. 1950M5.8

    N. New Zealand

    14 Mar 1950 · 161 km away

    tsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers

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