Reviewed by USGS20y ago
M5.2 earthquake in Kermadec Islands region
Saturday, July 15, 2006, 08:57:42 UTC · 31.025°S, 179.406°W
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck in Kermadec Islands region on Saturday, July 15, 2006, 08:57:42 UTC, at a depth of 280.0 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on July 7, 2006.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mwc
- Depth
- 280 km
- Intermediate
- 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
951 tons of TNT
That is about 1/16 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
1 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: intermediate
280 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 M4.3 on July 26, 2006. 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 1,427 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 · 263 km E of this epicenter
- 7.5Kermadec Islands, New ZealandNovember 16, 1917 · 199 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.4Kermadec Islands regionMay 16, 2006 · 88 km S of this epicenter
- 7.3Kermadec Islands, New ZealandMarch 26, 1963 · 202 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.3Kermadec Islands, New ZealandJuly 25, 1968 · 123 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2Kermadec Islands, New ZealandFebruary 9, 1978 · 199 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2Kermadec Islands, New ZealandJuly 3, 1995 · 267 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2Kermadec Islands, New ZealandJune 3, 2001 · 168 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1976M7.9
Kermadec Islands
14 Jan 1976 · 278 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1968M7.3
S Of, Raoul
25 Jul 1968 · 99 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1976M7.8
Kermadec Islands
14 Jan 1976 · 242 km away · intensity VIII
- 1978M7.7
S Of
9 Feb 1978 · 199 km away
- 1943M7.6
S Of
14 Sep 1943 · 257 km away
- 1917M7.5
S Of
16 Nov 1917 · 290 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.