M7.0 earthquake 19 km NE of Methven, New Zealand

Friday, September 3, 2010, 16:35:47 UTC · 43.522°S, 171.830°E

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 19 km NE of Methven, New Zealand on Friday, September 3, 2010, 16:35:47 UTC, at a depth of 12.0 km (shallow). USGS received 628 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of IX (violent). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on May 23, 1968.

Magnitude: 7.0; Major · mwc
Depth: 12 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 628; Max intensity IX
Est. shaking: VIII; Severe (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert: None; Not issued
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

477 kilotons of TNT

That is about 32 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,000 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

94 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

12 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
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand	VII · Very strong	236	66 km
Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand	IV · Light	87	283 km
Timaru, Canterbury, New Zealand	V · Moderate	31	107 km
Ashburton, Canterbury, New Zealand	VI · Strong	29	45 km
Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand	III · Weak	20	348 km
Rangiora, Canterbury, New Zealand	VI · Strong	18	65 km
Darfield, Canterbury, New Zealand	VII · Very strong	16	26 km
Rolleston, Canterbury, New Zealand	VIII · Severe	11	46 km
Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand	III · Weak	7	421 km
Nelson, Nelson, New Zealand	III · Weak	7	274 km
Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand	VII · Very strong	6	55 km
Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand	II · Weak	6	363 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 200 km

USGS lists 167 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.1 on September 3, 2010. 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 56 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 12 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 23 recorded deaths. The most severe:

1929M7.5
South Island
16 Jun 1929 · 200 km away
17 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
1968M7.1
South Island: Nw Coast
23 May 1968 · 203 km away
3 deaths$3 million damage
1848M6.0
Awatere River, Marlborough
18 Oct 1848 · 272 km away
3 deathstsunami
2010M7.0
Christchurch
3 Sep 2010 · 0 km away · intensity IX
$6.5 billion damage
1913M6.8
Tasman Sea
22 Feb 1913 · 193 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
1994M6.8
South Island: Christchurch
18 Jun 1994 · 64 km away · intensity VI
Limited damage (under $1M)

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

Nearby trackers