M5.9 earthquake 9 km ESE of Christchurch, New Zealand

Monday, June 13, 2011, 02:20:49 UTC · 43.564°S, 172.743°E

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 9 km ESE of Christchurch, New Zealand on Monday, June 13, 2011, 02:20:49 UTC, at a depth of 6.1 km (shallow). USGS received 65 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of VII (very strong). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.1 on February 21, 2011.

Magnitude: 5.9; Moderate · mww
Depth: 6 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 65; Max intensity VII
Est. shaking: VII; Very strong (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert: None; Not issued
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

11 kilotons of TNT

That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 22 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

119 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Australian and Pacific plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.

Depth: shallow

6 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	25	10 km
Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand	IV · Light	15	313 km
Westport, West Coast, New Zealand	IV · Light	3	224 km
Ashburton, Canterbury, New Zealand	V · Moderate	2	88 km
Timaru, Canterbury, New Zealand	V · Moderate	2	152 km
Rangiora, Canterbury, New Zealand	IV · Light	2	32 km
Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand	II · Weak	2	304 km
Leeston, Canterbury, New Zealand	VII · Very strong	1	42 km
Southbridge, Canterbury, New Zealand	V · Moderate	1	49 km
Rolleston, Canterbury, New Zealand	V · Moderate	1	30 km
Gore, Southland, New Zealand	IV · Light	1	412 km
Warrington, Otago, New Zealand	III · Weak	1	294 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 75 km

USGS lists 37 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.2 on June 21, 2011. 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 69 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 17 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 209 recorded deaths. The most severe:

2011M6.1
Christchurch, Lyttelton
21 Feb 2011 · 5 km away
185 deaths$15 billion damagetsunami
1929M7.5
South Island
16 Jun 1929 · 206 km away
17 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
1968M7.1
South Island: Nw Coast
23 May 1968 · 216 km away
3 deaths$3 million damage
1848M6.0
Awatere River, Marlborough
18 Oct 1848 · 234 km away
3 deathstsunami
2011M6.0
South Island: Canterbury
13 Jun 2011 · 0 km away
1 death$3.0 billion damage
2010M7.0
Christchurch
3 Sep 2010 · 74 km away · intensity IX
$6.5 billion damage

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

Nearby trackers