A M4.3 earthquake struck in the Tasman Sea 42 kilometer from Wellington, New Zealand in the afternoon of Monday November 4th, 2024.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Tasman Sea, right off the coast of New Zealand, 42 kilometer west of Wellington. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 35 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Nov 4, 2024 15:58 (Auckland Time) - Nov 4, 2024 02:58 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 42 km west of Wellington, New Zealand. Coordinates 41°18'10"S 174°16'34"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.3 Detected by 33 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.054 . |
| Depth: | 35 km (22 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in New Zealand . Located 36 kilometer (22 mi) north-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Blenheim (Marlborough, New Zealand) is the nearest significant population center.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Wellington is located 42 km to the east. Lower Hutt is located 54 km to the east. Christchurch is located 282 km to the south-southwest.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 36 km (22 mi) SW from epicenter |
Blenheim Marlborough, New Zealand. |
| 39 km (24 mi) E from epicenter |
Karori Wellington, New Zealand. |
| 42 km (26 mi) E from epicenter |
Wellington Wellington, New Zealand. |
| 52 km (32 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Porirua Wellington, New Zealand. |
| 54 km (34 mi) E from epicenter |
Lower Hutt Wellington, New Zealand. |
| 56 km (35 mi) E from epicenter |
Wainuiomata Wellington, New Zealand. |
| 67 km (42 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Upper Hutt Wellington, New Zealand. |
| 75 km (47 mi) NE from epicenter |
Paraparaumu Wellington, New Zealand. |
| 83 km (52 mi) W from epicenter |
Nelson Nelson, New Zealand. |
| 87 km (54 mi) W from epicenter |
Stoke Nelson, New Zealand. |
| 112 km (70 mi) NE from epicenter |
Levin Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand. |
| 122 km (76 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Masterton Wellington, New Zealand. |
| 149 km (93 mi) NE from epicenter |
Linton Military Camp Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand. |
| 154 km (96 mi) NE from epicenter |
Palmerston North Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand. |
| 166 km (103 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Whanganui Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand. |
| 249 km (155 mi) N from epicenter |
New Plymouth Taranaki, New Zealand. |
| 262 km (163 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Rangiora Canterbury, New Zealand. |
| 282 km (175 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Christchurch Canterbury, New Zealand. |
| 286 km (178 mi) NE from epicenter |
Hastings Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. |
| 294 km (183 mi) NE from epicenter |
Taradale Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. |
Shaking reported by 794 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 794 people have reported shaking in 9 places, all within New Zealand.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand: 314 people.
- Blenheim, Marlborough, New Zealand: 186 people.
- Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand: 122 people.
- Greytown, Wellington, New Zealand: 34 people.
- Upper Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand: 32 people.
- Carterton, Wellington, New Zealand: 31 people.
- Makara-Ohariu, Wellington, New Zealand: 28 people.
- Murchison, Tasman, New Zealand: 25 people.
- Picton, Marlborough, New Zealand: 22 people.
Risk of aftershocks?
We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since November 1st, 2024, when a 4.3 magnitude earthquake hit 165 km (103 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on November 13th, 2016.
In total, 517 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.3 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 7 days.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 35 km (22 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 13/11/24 03:28 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000npst
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241104_0000051
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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