| Magnitude | 6.8 |
| Alert | Severe |
| Depth | 28.0 km |
| Coordinates | -29.970, -177.610 |
| UTC time | 1981-12-24 05:33:20.710 |
Earthquake details
Thursday, December 24, 1981 Earthquake
The earthquake hit New Zealand on Thursday, December 24, 1981 at 05:33 UTC with a magnitude of 6.8. The closest known location in the current dataset is Whangarei (New Zealand - NE), about 989.5 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude -177.610 and latitude -29.970.
| Location | Kermadec Islands |
| Country | New Zealand (NE) |
| Severity | Severe |
Earthquake map 1981-12-24
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Whangarei | 989.5 km |
| Tauranga | 1033.3 km |
| Auckland | 1042.6 km |
| Manukau | 1046.8 km |
| Gisborne | 1047.0 km |
| Papatoetoe | 1047.3 km |
| Rotorua | 1070.8 km |
| Hamilton | 1089.1 km |
| Napier City | 1171.9 km |
| Hastings | 1188.8 km |
| New Plymouth | 1265.9 km |
| Whanganui | 1294.5 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
27.3 km
M 4.8
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-09-05 01:41 UTC
93.9 km
M 5.8
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-08-30 09:02 UTC
33.2 km
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-25 21:39 UTC
54.0 km
M 5.0
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-22 21:03 UTC
49.5 km
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-22 20:07 UTC
77.4 km
M 4.8
Kermadec Islands region
Unknown · 2026-07-22 15:45 UTC
71.1 km
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-22 15:39 UTC
39.2 km
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