| Magnitude | 5.5 |
| Alert | Strong |
| Depth | 32.1 km |
| Coordinates | -34.828, -179.526 |
| UTC time | 1989-12-20 11:44:48.810 |
Earthquake details
Wednesday, December 20, 1989 Earthquake
The earthquake hit south of the Kermadec Islands on Wednesday, December 20, 1989 at 11:44 UTC with a magnitude of 5.5. The closest known location in the current dataset is Gisborne, about 479.4 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude -179.526 and latitude -34.828.
| Location | south of the Kermadec Islands |
| Country | south of the Kermadec Islands |
| Severity | Strong |
Earthquake map 1989-12-20
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Gisborne | 479.4 km |
| Tauranga | 500.6 km |
| Rotorua | 528.2 km |
| Manukau | 558.9 km |
| Papatoetoe | 561.0 km |
| Auckland | 562.2 km |
| Whangarei | 567.8 km |
| Hamilton | 570.0 km |
| Napier City | 607.7 km |
| Hastings | 624.3 km |
| New Plymouth | 738.5 km |
| Whanganui | 743.4 km |
Nearby earthquakes
The latest 8 earthquakes within 100 km of this epicenter.
M 4.6
south of the Kermadec Islands
Unknown · 2026-06-12 10:31 UTC
96.5 km
M 4.3
south of the Kermadec Islands
Unknown · 2026-05-29 12:59 UTC
39.1 km
M 4.8
south of the Kermadec Islands
Unknown · 2026-04-23 17:46 UTC
36.4 km
M 4.9
off the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand
Unknown · 2026-03-22 17:06 UTC
71.3 km
M 4.2
off the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand
Unknown · 2026-03-19 01:33 UTC
55.5 km
M 4.4
south of the Kermadec Islands
Unknown · 2026-03-11 19:33 UTC
93.2 km
M 4.2
east of the North Island of New Zealand
Unknown · 2026-02-11 22:40 UTC
31.5 km
M 4.5
south of the Kermadec Islands
Unknown · 2026-01-19 16:09 UTC
98.5 km
Stay informed
Earthquake alerts
Create targeted notifications for important seismic activity near the places you follow.