M6.8 earthquake 70 km N of Te Anau, New Zealand

Monday, October 15, 2007, 12:29:34 UTC · 44.796°S, 167.553°E

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 70 km N of Te Anau, New Zealand on Monday, October 15, 2007, 12:29:34 UTC, at a depth of 18.0 km (shallow). USGS received 75 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of IV (light). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on August 21, 2003.

Magnitude: 6.8; Strong · mwc
Depth: 18 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 75; Max intensity IV
Est. shaking: VII; Very strong (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert: None; Not issued
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

239 kilotons of TNT

That is about 16 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 501 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

22 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Australian and Pacific plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.

Depth: shallow

18 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

Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.

Place	Intensity	Reports	Distance
Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand	IV · Light	26	259 km
Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand	IV · Light	14	191 km
Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand	IV · Light	14	91 km
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand	III · Weak	7	430 km
Wanaka, Otago, New Zealand	IV · Light	3	128 km
Timaru, Canterbury, New Zealand	IV · Light	2	295 km
Alexandra, Otago, New Zealand	IV · Light	2	152 km
Balclutha, Otago, New Zealand	III · Weak	2	234 km
Gore, Southland, New Zealand	IV · Light	1	180 km
Waimate, Canterbury, New Zealand	III · Weak	1	1183 km
Hokitika, West Coast, New Zealand	II · Weak	1	360 km

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 39 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.1 on October 15, 2007. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 64 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 4 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:

2003M7.2
Dunedin,Invercargill,Te Anau,Fiordland
21 Aug 2003 · 47 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
2007M6.8
South Island: Fiordland
15 Oct 2007 · 3 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)
1826M8.0
Fjordland
1826 · 139 km away
1979M7.5
W Of North Island
12 Oct 1979 · 253 km away · intensity V

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

Nearby trackers