| Magnitude | 5.8 |
| Alert | Strong |
| Depth | 42.0 km |
| Coordinates | -30.710, -178.161 |
| UTC time | 1979-05-02 18:16:14.000 |
Earthquake details
Wednesday, May 2, 1979 Earthquake
The earthquake hit New Zealand on Wednesday, May 2, 1979 at 18:16 UTC with a magnitude of 5.8. The closest known location in the current dataset is Whangarei (New Zealand - NE), about 895.2 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude -178.161 and latitude -30.710.
| Location | Kermadec Islands |
| Country | New Zealand (NE) |
| Severity | Strong |
Earthquake map 1979-05-02
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Whangarei | 895.2 km |
| Tauranga | 935.4 km |
| Auckland | 945.7 km |
| Manukau | 949.7 km |
| Papatoetoe | 950.2 km |
| Gisborne | 951.1 km |
| Rotorua | 973.0 km |
| Hamilton | 991.3 km |
| Napier City | 1075.2 km |
| Hastings | 1092.2 km |
| New Plymouth | 1168.1 km |
| Whanganui | 1196.7 km |
Nearby earthquakes
The latest 8 earthquakes within 100 km of this epicenter.
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-09-16 20:03 UTC
77.4 km
M 4.8
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-09-05 01:41 UTC
33.4 km
M 5.8
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-08-30 09:02 UTC
67.9 km
M 4.4
Kermadec Islands region
Unknown · 2026-07-16 18:22 UTC
98.1 km
M 4.6
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-11 03:33 UTC
11.5 km
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands region
Unknown · 2026-06-29 03:10 UTC
73.6 km
M 5.1
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-06-21 23:14 UTC
51.6 km
M 4.5
Kermadec Islands region
Unknown · 2026-06-18 04:58 UTC
55.4 km
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