| Magnitude | 5.0 |
| Alert | Strong |
| Depth | 33.0 km |
| Coordinates | -30.140, -177.262 |
| UTC time | 1981-12-24 19:01:18.780 |
Earthquake details
Thursday, December 24, 1981 Earthquake
The earthquake hit New Zealand on Thursday, December 24, 1981 at 19:01 UTC with a magnitude of 5.0. The closest known location in the current dataset is Whangarei (New Zealand - NE), about 1002.0 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude -177.262 and latitude -30.140.
| Location | Kermadec Islands |
| Country | New Zealand (NE) |
| Severity | Strong |
Earthquake map 1981-12-24
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Whangarei | 1002.0 km |
| Tauranga | 1035.8 km |
| Gisborne | 1042.3 km |
| Auckland | 1050.7 km |
| Manukau | 1054.3 km |
| Papatoetoe | 1054.9 km |
| Rotorua | 1072.0 km |
| Hamilton | 1093.5 km |
| Napier City | 1168.7 km |
| Hastings | 1185.5 km |
| New Plymouth | 1270.0 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
32.9 km
M 4.8
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-09-05 01:41 UTC
90.5 km
M 5.8
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-08-30 09:02 UTC
60.2 km
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-25 21:39 UTC
78.2 km
M 5.0
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-22 21:03 UTC
86.3 km
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-22 20:07 UTC
80.1 km
M 4.8
Kermadec Islands region
Unknown · 2026-07-22 15:45 UTC
61.8 km
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-22 15:39 UTC
48.4 km
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