Unusually powerful M6.7 Earthquake struck on Tuesday Afternoon in the Tasman Sea 188km from Invercargill (New Zealand).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on March 25th, 2025. Last updated March 29th, 2025.

An unusually powerful M6.7 earthquake struck in the Tasman Sea 188 kilometer from Invercargill, New Zealand in the afternoon of Tuesday March 25th, 2025. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Tasman Sea, 99 kilometers (61 mi) off the coast of New Zealand, 188 kilometer west of Invercargill in Southland. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 21 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Mar 25, 2025 14:43 (Auckland Time) 4 days ago - Mar 25, 2025 01:43 Universal Time.
Location:	188 km west of Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand. Coordinates 46°42'29"S 165°55'59"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.7 Detected by 29 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.045 .
Depth:	21 km (13 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential tsunami risk The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential 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.

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. The US Geographic Survey organization has indicated a potential risk for tsunami's following this earthquake.

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.	This earthquake had a magnitude of 6.7. Earthquakes of this strength could trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 21 km (13 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

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 90 thousand people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 90 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 580 people were exposed to level V. At this level, moderate shaking and very light damage can be expected. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 80 thousand). In their region, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of New Zealand .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
710	III	Weak	Probably none
84,520	IV	Light	Likely none
580	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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Invercargill in Southland, New Zealand. Invercargill is located 188 kilometer (117 mi) west of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Invercargill is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
188 km (117 mi) E from epicenter	Invercargill Southland, New Zealand.	IV Light
363 km (226 mi) ENE from epicenter	Dunedin Otago, New Zealand.
487 km (303 mi) ENE from epicenter	Timaru Canterbury, 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 V.

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 68 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 68 people have reported shaking in 22 places in 2 countries (Australia, 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:

Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand: 19 people.
Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand: 9 people.
Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand: 7 people.
Te Anau, Southland, New Zealand: 5 people.
Tuatapere, Southland, New Zealand: 4 people.
Gore, Southland, New Zealand: 3 people.
Arrowtown, Otago, New Zealand: 2 people.
Manapouri, Southland, New Zealand: 2 people.
Cromwell, Otago, New Zealand: 2 people.
Wanaka, Otago, New Zealand: 2 people.

22 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 22 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 1 hr later 6 km (4 mi) west-northwest 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 6.7	Mar 25, 2025 14:43 (Auckland Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.3	23 mins later Mar 25, 2025 15:05 (Auckland Time)	28 km (17 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.9	41 mins later Mar 25, 2025 15:24 (Auckland Time)	81 km (50 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	1 hr later Mar 25, 2025 15:53 (Auckland Time)	13 km (8 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 5.4	1 hr later Mar 25, 2025 15:56 (Auckland Time)	6 km (4 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	1 hr later Mar 25, 2025 16:07 (Auckland Time)	4 km (2.2 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.6	2 hrs later Mar 25, 2025 16:35 (Auckland Time)	31 km (19 mi) WSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.5	3 hrs later Mar 25, 2025 17:15 (Auckland Time)	28 km (18 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	5 hrs later Mar 25, 2025 20:04 (Auckland Time)	18 km (11 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.8	5 hrs later Mar 25, 2025 20:12 (Auckland Time)	4 km (2.5 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.2	6 hrs later Mar 25, 2025 20:30 (Auckland Time)	14 km (9 mi) S from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.4	6 hrs later Mar 25, 2025 20:31 (Auckland Time)	6 km (4 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.0	6 hrs later Mar 25, 2025 20:54 (Auckland Time)	17 km (11 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.9	7 hrs later Mar 25, 2025 22:04 (Auckland Time)	2.8 km (1.7 mi) SSE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	9 hrs later Mar 25, 2025 23:38 (Auckland Time)	12 km (8 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.3	10 hrs later Mar 26, 2025 00:18 (Auckland Time)	8 km (5 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.5	11 hrs later Mar 26, 2025 01:30 (Auckland Time)	11 km (7 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	13 hrs later Mar 26, 2025 03:44 (Auckland Time)	66 km (41 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.3	14 hrs later Mar 26, 2025 04:44 (Auckland Time)	14 km (9 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	1 day later Mar 26, 2025 22:14 (Auckland Time)	11 km (7 mi) S from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.8	2 days later Mar 27, 2025 03:11 (Auckland Time)	27 km (17 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	2 days later Mar 27, 2025 08:51 (Auckland Time)	17 km (10 mi) SSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.2	3 days later Mar 28, 2025 06:17 (Auckland Time)	20 km (13 mi) NNW from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

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).

This is an unusually powerful earthquake

No earthquake of this strength has struck this region for a long time. Our data goes back 10 years, and no earthquakes measuring a magnitude of 6.7 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.

Sources

Last updated 29/03/25 01:38 (13 hours ago). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.