| Magnitude | 5.4 |
| Alert | Strong |
| Depth | 33.0 km |
| Coordinates | -30.238, -177.277 |
| UTC time | 1981-12-24 13:02:39.850 |
Earthquake details
Thursday, December 24, 1981 Earthquake
The earthquake hit New Zealand on Thursday, December 24, 1981 at 13:02 UTC with a magnitude of 5.4. The closest known location in the current dataset is Whangarei (New Zealand - NE), about 993.8 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude -177.277 and latitude -30.238.
| Location | Kermadec Islands |
| Country | New Zealand (NE) |
| Severity | Strong |
Earthquake map 1981-12-24
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Whangarei | 993.8 km |
| Tauranga | 1025.9 km |
| Gisborne | 1031.7 km |
| Auckland | 1041.7 km |
| Manukau | 1045.2 km |
| Papatoetoe | 1045.8 km |
| Rotorua | 1062.0 km |
| Hamilton | 1084.0 km |
| Napier City | 1158.2 km |
| Hastings | 1175.0 km |
| New Plymouth | 1260.3 km |
| Whanganui | 1284.6 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
30.4 km
M 4.8
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-09-05 01:41 UTC
81.1 km
M 5.8
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-08-30 09:02 UTC
59.6 km
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-25 21:39 UTC
87.9 km
M 5.0
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-22 21:03 UTC
92.9 km
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-22 20:07 UTC
91.1 km
M 4.8
Kermadec Islands region
Unknown · 2026-07-22 15:45 UTC
72.3 km
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-22 15:39 UTC
59.0 km
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