| Magnitude | 5.4 |
| Alert | Strong |
| Depth | 38.1 km |
| Coordinates | -40.507, 176.314 |
| UTC time | 1981-12-27 17:18:45.610 |
Earthquake details
Sunday, December 27, 1981 Earthquake
The earthquake hit New Zealand on Sunday, December 27, 1981 at 17:18 UTC with a magnitude of 5.4. The closest known location in the current dataset is Palmerston North (New Zealand - NZ), about 61.9 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude 176.314 and latitude -40.507.
| Location | Palmerston North |
| Country | New Zealand (NZ) |
| Severity | Strong |
Earthquake map 1981-12-27
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Palmerston North | 61.9 km |
| Masterton | 74.9 km |
| Hastings | 106.9 km |
| Paraparaumu | 118.6 km |
| Napier City | 123.9 km |
| Whanganui | 125.0 km |
| Upper Hutt | 127.6 km |
| Porirua | 141.7 km |
| Lower Hutt | 141.7 km |
| Wellington | 155.8 km |
| Blenheim | 227.9 km |
| New Plymouth | 249.2 km |
Nearby earthquakes
The latest 8 earthquakes within 100 km of this epicenter.
|
M 4.2
Wellington
New Zealand · 2026-04-13 15:26 UTC
|
152.0 km |
|
M 4.5
Paraparaumu
New Zealand · 2026-02-16 08:04 UTC
|
150.6 km |
|
M 4.6
Wellington
New Zealand · 2026-01-27 00:53 UTC
|
122.1 km |
|
M 4.3
Palmerston North
New Zealand · 2026-01-13 10:21 UTC
|
21.4 km |
|
M 4.0
Palmerston North
New Zealand · 2025-12-26 03:06 UTC
|
20.9 km |
|
M 4.5
Masterton
New Zealand · 2025-12-25 18:16 UTC
|
25.7 km |
|
M 4.0
Palmerston North
New Zealand · 2025-12-15 12:05 UTC
|
36.4 km |
|
M 4.2
Palmerston North
New Zealand · 2025-12-03 23:17 UTC
|
10.8 km |
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