| Magnitude | 5.4 |
| Alert | Strong |
| Depth | 54.0 km |
| Coordinates | -32.191, -178.529 |
| UTC time | 1979-05-03 21:18:06.200 |
Earthquake details
Thursday, May 3, 1979 Earthquake
The earthquake hit south of the Kermadec Islands on Thursday, May 3, 1979 at 21:18 UTC with a magnitude of 5.4. The closest known location in the current dataset is Whangarei, about 768.3 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude -178.529 and latitude -32.191.
| Location | south of the Kermadec Islands |
| Country | south of the Kermadec Islands |
| Severity | Strong |
Earthquake map 1979-05-03
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Whangarei | 768.3 km |
| Tauranga | 779.7 km |
| Gisborne | 784.9 km |
| Auckland | 804.1 km |
| Manukau | 806.2 km |
| Papatoetoe | 807.2 km |
| Rotorua | 814.8 km |
| Hamilton | 839.8 km |
| Napier City | 910.6 km |
| Hastings | 927.5 km |
| New Plymouth | 1015.4 km |
| Whanganui | 1036.9 km |
Nearby earthquakes
The latest 8 earthquakes within 100 km of this epicenter.
M 5.0
south of the Kermadec Islands
Unknown · 2026-07-20 20:44 UTC
75.5 km
M 4.5
south of the Kermadec Islands
Unknown · 2026-07-19 20:23 UTC
78.0 km
M 5.2
south of the Kermadec Islands
Unknown · 2026-07-18 05:46 UTC
79.9 km
M 5.0
south of the Kermadec Islands
Unknown · 2026-07-17 13:17 UTC
86.2 km
M 4.4
Kermadec Islands region
Unknown · 2026-07-16 18:22 UTC
76.1 km
M 4.6
south of the Kermadec Islands
Unknown · 2026-07-06 19:10 UTC
96.1 km
M 4.6
south of the Kermadec Islands
Unknown · 2026-07-05 09:21 UTC
75.6 km
M 4.6
south of the Kermadec Islands
Unknown · 2026-06-27 05:26 UTC
13.1 km
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