| Magnitude | 6.1 |
| Alert | Severe |
| Depth | 15.0 km |
| Coordinates | -40.382, 176.300 |
| UTC time | 1938-12-30 02:20:50.890 |
Earthquake details
Friday, December 30, 1938 Earthquake
The earthquake hit New Zealand on Friday, December 30, 1938 at 02:20 UTC with a magnitude of 6.1. The closest known location in the current dataset is Palmerston North (New Zealand - NZ), about 58.5 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude 176.300 and latitude -40.382.
| Location | Palmerston North |
| Country | New Zealand (NZ) |
| Severity | Severe |
Earthquake map 1938-12-30
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Palmerston North | 58.5 km |
| Masterton | 84.1 km |
| Hastings | 95.1 km |
| Napier City | 112.0 km |
| Whanganui | 117.5 km |
| Paraparaumu | 123.7 km |
| Upper Hutt | 134.9 km |
| Porirua | 148.1 km |
| Lower Hutt | 149.1 km |
| Wellington | 163.2 km |
| Blenheim | 234.3 km |
| New Plymouth | 239.7 km |
Nearby earthquakes
The latest 8 earthquakes within 100 km of this epicenter.
|
M 4.2
Wellington
New Zealand · 2026-04-13 15:26 UTC
|
151.8 km |
|
M 4.5
Paraparaumu
New Zealand · 2026-02-16 08:04 UTC
|
152.2 km |
|
M 4.6
Wellington
New Zealand · 2026-01-27 00:53 UTC
|
121.3 km |
|
M 4.3
Palmerston North
New Zealand · 2026-01-13 10:21 UTC
|
32.3 km |
|
M 4.0
Palmerston North
New Zealand · 2025-12-26 03:06 UTC
|
31.5 km |
|
M 4.5
Masterton
New Zealand · 2025-12-25 18:16 UTC
|
37.0 km |
|
M 4.0
Palmerston North
New Zealand · 2025-12-15 12:05 UTC
|
34.2 km |
|
M 4.2
Palmerston North
New Zealand · 2025-12-03 23:17 UTC
|
23.7 km |
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