Shallow M5.8 Earthquake hit in the South Pacific Ocean 179km from Gisborne (New Zealand) on Thursday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 27th, 2024. Last updated November 29th, 2024.

In the South Pacific Ocean 179 kilometer from Gisborne, New Zealand, a shallow and significant MAG-5.8 earthquake occurred in the morning of Thursday November 28th, 2024. Around 60 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 125 kilometers (78 mi) off the coast of New Zealand, 179 kilometer north-east of Gisborne. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 19 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Nov 28, 2024 11:03 (Auckland Time) - Nov 27, 2024 22:03 Universal Time.
Location:	179 km NE of Gisborne, New Zealand. Coordinates 37°44'25"S 179°41'18"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 46 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.046 .
Depth:	19 km (12 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 69% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 98% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 60 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 60 thousand people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

Weak shaking and probably no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 46,590 people. At III, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of New Zealand .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
18,310	II	Very weak	None
46,590	III	Weak	Probably none
0	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in New Zealand . Gisborne in Gisborne, New Zealand is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 179 kilometer (111 mi) north-east of Gisborne. The intensity of shaking and damage in Gisborne is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
179 km (111 mi) SW from epicenter	Gisborne Gisborne, New Zealand.	III Weak
239 km (149 mi) W from epicenter	Whakatane Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.
305 km (190 mi) W from epicenter	Rotorua Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.
310 km (193 mi) W from epicenter	Tauranga Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.
310 km (193 mi) SW from epicenter	Napier Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.
317 km (197 mi) SW from epicenter	Taradale Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.
324 km (201 mi) SW from epicenter	Hastings Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.
332 km (206 mi) WSW from epicenter	Taupo Waikato, New Zealand.
373 km (232 mi) W from epicenter	Cambridge Waikato, New Zealand.
387 km (240 mi) W from epicenter	Hamilton Waikato, New Zealand.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is III.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 6 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 6 people have reported shaking in 4 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:

Gisborne, Gisborne, New Zealand: 2 people.
Ruatoria, Gisborne, New Zealand: 2 people.
Te Kaha, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand: 1 person.
Whakatane, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand: 1 person.

Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 1 smaller aftershock. A 3.1 magnitude earthquake hit 18 mins later 10 km (6 mi) north-northeast of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.8	Nov 28, 2024 11:03 (Auckland Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.1	18 mins later Nov 28, 2024 11:21 (Auckland Time)	10 km (6 mi) NNE from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

This is the strongest earthquake in 4 years

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since April 5th, 2021, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 32 km (20 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on March 4th, 2021.

In total, 10 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 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 year.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.8. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 19 km (12 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 29/11/24 03:08 (). 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.