Reviewed by USGS30y ago
M6.2 earthquake in Kermadec Islands region
Sunday, December 1, 1996, 23:09:40 UTC · 30.522°S, 179.675°W
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck in Kermadec Islands region on Sunday, December 1, 1996, 23:09:40 UTC, at a depth of 355.8 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on November 11, 1996.
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- Strong · mwb
- Depth
- 356 km
- Deep
- 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: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
30 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 63 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
38 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: deep
356 km
Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.
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 100 km
USGS lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.4 on December 17, 1996. 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 1,026 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 · 298 km E of this epicenter
- 7.5Kermadec Islands, New ZealandNovember 16, 1917 · 192 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.3Kermadec Islands, New ZealandMarch 26, 1963 · 201 km E of this epicenter
- 7.3Kermadec Islands, New ZealandJuly 25, 1968 · 150 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2Kermadec Islands, New ZealandFebruary 9, 1978 · 222 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2Kermadec Islands, New ZealandJuly 3, 1995 · 248 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2Kermadec Islands, New ZealandAugust 2, 1941 · 216 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2Kermadec Islands, New ZealandApril 17, 1919 · 161 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. The most severe:
- 1976M7.9
Kermadec Islands
14 Jan 1976 · 261 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1968M7.3
S Of, Raoul
25 Jul 1968 · 126 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1917M8.0
Kermadec Islands
1 May 1917 · 297 km away
tsunami
- 1976M7.8
Kermadec Islands
14 Jan 1976 · 245 km away · intensity VIII
- 1978M7.7
S Of
9 Feb 1978 · 222 km away
- 1943M7.6
S Of
14 Sep 1943 · 263 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.