| Magnitude | 6.4 |
| Alert | Severe |
| Depth | 20.0 km |
| Coordinates | -41.261, 175.833 |
| UTC time | 1961-12-27 23:48:03.750 |
Earthquake details
Wednesday, December 27, 1961 Earthquake
The earthquake hit New Zealand on Wednesday, December 27, 1961 at 23:48 UTC with a magnitude of 6.4. The closest known location in the current dataset is Masterton (New Zealand - NZ), about 36.6 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude 175.833 and latitude -41.261.
| Location | Masterton |
| Country | New Zealand (NZ) |
| Severity | Severe |
Earthquake map 1961-12-27
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Masterton | 36.6 km |
| Upper Hutt | 67.0 km |
| Lower Hutt | 76.9 km |
| Paraparaumu | 78.5 km |
| Porirua | 83.6 km |
| Wellington | 88.5 km |
| Palmerston North | 102.4 km |
| Blenheim | 159.6 km |
| Whanganui | 161.9 km |
| Hastings | 200.1 km |
| Nelson | 213.3 km |
| Napier City | 217.1 km |
Nearby earthquakes
The latest 8 earthquakes within 100 km of this epicenter.
|
M 4.5
Paraparaumu
New Zealand · 2026-02-16 08:04 UTC
|
124.5 km |
|
M 4.6
Wellington
New Zealand · 2026-01-27 00:53 UTC
|
119.7 km |
|
M 4.3
Palmerston North
New Zealand · 2026-01-13 10:21 UTC
|
73.2 km |
|
M 4.0
Palmerston North
New Zealand · 2025-12-26 03:06 UTC
|
74.0 km |
|
M 4.5
Masterton
New Zealand · 2025-12-25 18:16 UTC
|
68.4 km |
|
M 4.0
Palmerston North
New Zealand · 2025-12-15 12:05 UTC
|
93.7 km |
|
M 4.2
Palmerston North
New Zealand · 2025-12-03 23:17 UTC
|
88.9 km |
|
M 4.5
Palmerston North
New Zealand · 2025-12-03 22:47 UTC
|
90.3 km |
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