| Magnitude | 5.4 |
| Alert | Strong |
| Depth | 36.0 km |
| Coordinates | -30.374, -177.362 |
| UTC time | 1981-12-24 22:36:27.860 |
Earthquake details
Thursday, December 24, 1981 Earthquake
The earthquake hit New Zealand on Thursday, December 24, 1981 at 22:36 UTC with a magnitude of 5.4. The closest known location in the current dataset is Whangarei (New Zealand - NE), about 977.8 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude -177.362 and latitude -30.374.
| Location | Kermadec Islands |
| Country | New Zealand (NE) |
| Severity | Strong |
Earthquake map 1981-12-24
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Whangarei | 977.8 km |
| Tauranga | 1008.8 km |
| Gisborne | 1014.5 km |
| Auckland | 1025.1 km |
| Manukau | 1028.5 km |
| Papatoetoe | 1029.1 km |
| Rotorua | 1044.8 km |
| Hamilton | 1067.0 km |
| Napier City | 1141.0 km |
| Hastings | 1157.8 km |
| New Plymouth | 1243.3 km |
| Whanganui | 1267.4 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
28.3 km
M 4.8
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-09-05 01:41 UTC
64.4 km
M 5.8
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-08-30 09:02 UTC
56.5 km
M 4.8
Kermadec Islands region
Unknown · 2026-07-22 15:45 UTC
89.4 km
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-22 15:39 UTC
73.9 km
M 4.6
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-11 03:33 UTC
95.5 km
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands region
Unknown · 2026-06-29 03:10 UTC
94.9 km
M 5.1
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-06-21 23:14 UTC
98.7 km
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