Reviewed by USGS29y ago
M7.1 earthquake south of the Kermadec Islands
Sunday, May 25, 1997, 23:22:33 UTC · 32.115°S, 179.791°E
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck south of the Kermadec Islands on Sunday, May 25, 1997, 23:22:33 UTC, at a depth of 332.7 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on September 26, 1968.
- Magnitude
- 7.1
- Major · mwc
- Depth
- 333 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: 200 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
674 kilotons of TNT
That is about 45 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,413 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
26 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
333 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 200 km
USGS lists 13 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.3 on June 18, 1997. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.1south of the Kermadec Islands29y ago · 146 km E of this epicenter
- 5.0south of the Kermadec Islands29y ago · 127 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.4Kermadec Islands region29y ago · 128 km E of this epicenter
- 4.2south of the Kermadec Islands29y ago · 58 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.1south of the Kermadec Islands29y ago · 175 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.9Kermadec Islands region29y ago · 96 km E of this epicenter
- 5.2Kermadec Islands, New Zealand29y ago · 198 km NE of this epicenter
- 5.3south of the Kermadec Islands29y ago · 194 km SE of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 769 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.3Kermadec Islands, New ZealandJuly 25, 1968 · 244 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2Kermadec Islands, New ZealandApril 17, 1919 · 271 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.1Kermadec Islands, New ZealandSeptember 26, 1968 · 266 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0Kermadec Islands, New ZealandMay 20, 1968 · 241 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0Kermadec Islands, New ZealandMay 14, 1989 · 246 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0Kermadec Islands regionJanuary 26, 1983 · 210 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.9Kermadec Islands, New ZealandMay 20, 1968 · 249 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.9Kermadec Islands regionMay 3, 1997 · 86 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 1 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1968M7.3
S Of, Raoul
25 Jul 1968 · 225 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.