Earthquakes of magnitude 7 and above in New Zealand since 1900

Map of 7 locations in New Zealand

New Zealand sits across the boundary between the Australian and Pacific plates, and the instrumental record since 1900 holds a steady run of ruptures at magnitude 7 and above: offshore Fiordland and Southland, the Wairarapa and Manawatu in the lower North Island, the Canterbury plains, and the sea east of Gisborne. Each entry below is a past event, fixed by origin time and epicentre in the seismological catalogue and described in contemporary and archival accounts. Some caused deaths and structural damage; others ruptured in open water or under thinly settled country.

Places in this collection

  • 2010 Methven earthquake — The shock originated beneath the Canterbury plains of the South Island, about 19 km northeast of Methven, at coordinates 43.522S, 171.830E.…
  • 2003 Fiordland earthquake — The shock struck the remote Fiordland region of the South Island at 12:12 am NZST on 22 August 2003. Most of the damage occurred in the tow…
  • 1993 Fiordland earthquake — The epicentre lay in Fiordland, in the far southwest of the South Island, near Secretary Island. Wikipedia's list of 1993 earthquakes place…
  • 1947 Gisborne earthquakes and tsunami — The first of the two shocks struck offshore Poverty Bay on 26 March 1947 at 8:32 am NZST, east of Gisborne and off the North Island coast,…
  • 1945 Riverton earthquake — The epicentre lay offshore from the south coast of the South Island, roughly 173 km west-southwest of Riverton in Southland. Wikipedia's li…
  • 1942 Masterton earthquake — A severe shock struck the lower North Island three hours after a sizable foreshock, centred near Masterton and felt as far away as Auckland…
  • 1938 Te Anau earthquake — The shock struck at 05:21:35 local time on 17 December, with its epicentre about 15 km from Te Anau in Southland. It was a deep event by Ne…

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