Reviewed by USGSNew Zealand31y ago
M5.5 earthquake in Kermadec Islands, New Zealand
Friday, July 7, 1995, 13:23:59 UTC · 29.415°S, 177.468°W
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck in Kermadec Islands, New Zealand on Friday, July 7, 1995, 13:23:59 UTC, at a depth of 49.4 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on July 4, 1995.
- Magnitude
- 5.5
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 49 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
3 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/6 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 6 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
121 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Kermadec and Pacific plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
49 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.7 on July 26, 1995. 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 1,185 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 · 213 km S of this epicenter
- 8.01976 Kermadec Islands, New Zealand EarthquakeJanuary 14, 1976 · 111 km N of this epicenter
- 7.7Kermadec Islands regionOctober 20, 1986 · 180 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.5Kermadec Islands regionFebruary 27, 1955 · 218 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.5Kermadec Islands, New ZealandNovember 16, 1917 · 60 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.3Kermadec Islands regionSeptember 14, 1959 · 69 km N of this epicenter
- 7.3Kermadec Islands, New ZealandMarch 26, 1963 · 67 km S of this epicenter
- 7.3Kermadec Islands, New ZealandJuly 25, 1968 · 167 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 12 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1986M8.1
Raoul
20 Oct 1986 · 180 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1976M7.9
Kermadec Islands
14 Jan 1976 · 25 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1968M7.3
S Of, Raoul
25 Jul 1968 · 178 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1917M8.0
Kermadec Islands
1 May 1917 · 51 km away
tsunami
- 1955M7.8
Kermadec Islands
27 Feb 1955 · 248 km away
- 1976M7.8
Kermadec Islands
14 Jan 1976 · 61 km away · intensity VIII
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.