QuakeScout
Magnitude5.3

Reviewed by USGSNew Zealand14y ago

M5.3 earthquake in Kermadec Islands, New Zealand

Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 01:58:41 UTC · 29.455°S, 177.409°W

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck in Kermadec Islands, New Zealand on Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 01:58:41 UTC, at a depth of 36.5 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.4 on January 28, 2012.

Magnitude
5.3
Moderate · mb
Depth
37 km
Shallow
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

1 kilotons of TNT

That is about 1/11 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

114 km

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

Depth: shallow

37 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

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 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.9 on February 28, 2012. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M3M4M51h6h1d3d7d14d30dMainshock M5.3
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 4.9Kermadec Islands, New Zealand14y ago · 51 km SW of this epicenter
  2. 4.6Kermadec Islands, New Zealand14y ago · 39 km SE of this epicenter
  3. 4.6Kermadec Islands region14y ago · 70 km SE of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 1,792 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 8.21917 Kermadec Islands, New Zealand EarthquakeMay 1, 1917 · 207 km S of this epicenter
  2. 8.01976 Kermadec Islands, New Zealand EarthquakeJanuary 14, 1976 · 117 km N of this epicenter
  3. 7.7Kermadec Islands regionOctober 20, 1986 · 180 km NE of this epicenter
  4. 7.6Kermadec Islands regionJuly 6, 2011 · 104 km E of this epicenter
  5. 7.5Kermadec Islands regionFebruary 27, 1955 · 216 km NE of this epicenter
  6. 7.5Kermadec Islands, New ZealandNovember 16, 1917 · 60 km SW of this epicenter
  7. 7.4Kermadec Islands regionOctober 21, 2011 · 125 km NE of this epicenter
  8. 7.3Kermadec Islands regionSeptember 14, 1959 · 71 km N of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 14 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:

  1. 1986M8.1

    Raoul

    20 Oct 1986 · 180 km away

    Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  2. 1976M7.9

    Kermadec Islands

    14 Jan 1976 · 30 km away

    Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  3. 1968M7.3

    S Of, Raoul

    25 Jul 1968 · 177 km away

    Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  4. 1917M8.0

    Kermadec Islands

    1 May 1917 · 49 km away

    tsunami

  5. 1955M7.8

    Kermadec Islands

    27 Feb 1955 · 247 km away

  6. 1976M7.8

    Kermadec Islands

    14 Jan 1976 · 55 km away · intensity VIII

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

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