| Magnitude | 5.5 |
| Alert | Strong |
| Depth | 33.0 km |
| Coordinates | -30.960, -177.638 |
| UTC time | 1981-01-21 20:58:19.400 |
Earthquake details
Wednesday, January 21, 1981 Earthquake
The earthquake hit New Zealand on Wednesday, January 21, 1981 at 20:58 UTC with a magnitude of 5.5. The closest known location in the current dataset is Whangarei (New Zealand - NE), about 916.4 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude -177.638 and latitude -30.960.
| Location | Kermadec Islands |
| Country | New Zealand (NE) |
| Severity | Strong |
Earthquake map 1981-01-21
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Whangarei | 916.4 km |
| Tauranga | 940.2 km |
| Gisborne | 944.2 km |
| Auckland | 959.8 km |
| Manukau | 962.7 km |
| Papatoetoe | 963.5 km |
| Rotorua | 975.7 km |
| Hamilton | 999.3 km |
| Napier City | 1070.8 km |
| Hastings | 1087.6 km |
| New Plymouth | 1175.3 km |
| Whanganui | 1197.9 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
82.9 km
M 4.8
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-09-05 01:41 UTC
25.8 km
M 5.8
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-08-30 09:02 UTC
93.6 km
M 4.6
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-11 03:33 UTC
67.6 km
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands region
Unknown · 2026-06-29 03:10 UTC
26.1 km
M 4.5
Kermadec Islands region
Unknown · 2026-06-18 04:58 UTC
61.8 km
M 4.2
Kermadec Islands region
Unknown · 2026-06-05 08:09 UTC
92.1 km
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-04-25 23:35 UTC
77.4 km
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