| Magnitude | 5.3 |
| Alert | Strong |
| Depth | 19.0 km |
| Coordinates | -30.116, -177.310 |
| UTC time | 1981-05-20 23:17:02.510 |
Earthquake details
Wednesday, May 20, 1981 Earthquake
The earthquake hit New Zealand on Wednesday, May 20, 1981 at 23:17 UTC with a magnitude of 5.3. The closest known location in the current dataset is Whangarei (New Zealand - NE), about 1000.2 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude -177.310 and latitude -30.116.
| Location | Kermadec Islands |
| Country | New Zealand (NE) |
| Severity | Strong |
Earthquake map 1981-05-20
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Whangarei | 1000.2 km |
| Tauranga | 1035.4 km |
| Gisborne | 1042.9 km |
| Auckland | 1049.6 km |
| Manukau | 1053.2 km |
| Papatoetoe | 1053.8 km |
| Rotorua | 1071.8 km |
| Hamilton | 1092.9 km |
| Napier City | 1169.1 km |
| Hastings | 1185.9 km |
| New Plymouth | 1269.4 km |
| Whanganui | 1294.7 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
29.3 km
M 4.8
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-09-05 01:41 UTC
90.1 km
M 5.8
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-08-30 09:02 UTC
55.7 km
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-25 21:39 UTC
74.1 km
M 5.0
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-22 21:03 UTC
81.0 km
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-22 20:07 UTC
78.6 km
M 4.8
Kermadec Islands region
Unknown · 2026-07-22 15:45 UTC
61.7 km
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-22 15:39 UTC
45.2 km
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