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M5.3 Depth: 10.0 km

M5.3 Earthquake near South of Kermadec Islands

UTC time: 2025-12-09 03:08:57 UTC Local time: —

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.3 earthquake was recorded near South of Kermadec Islands on December 9, 2025 at 03:08 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 10 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The data is provided by GFZ and cross-checked across seismological networks.

Details

Magnitude
M5.3
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2025-12-09 03:08:57 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-32.83000, -177.47000
Temperature
20.5°C

Map

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 10 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 10 km
Shallow
10 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Whakatane759.8 kmSW18'602
Tauranga790.4 kmSW161'000
Auckland837.4 kmSW1'547'200

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Wright
    Distance: 194 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: -900 m ·New Zealand
  • Havre Seamount
    Distance: 244 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -897 m ·Last eruption: 2012 ·New Zealand
  • Curtis Island
    Distance: 274 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 47 m ·New Zealand
  • Macauley
    Distance: 307 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 238 m ·Last eruption: -4360 ·New Zealand
  • Giggenbach
    Distance: 332 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -65 m ·New Zealand
  • Raoul Island
    Distance: 398 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 516 m ·Last eruption: 2006 ·New Zealand

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#1
Earlier events M≥417
Earlier events M≥54
Compared since2025-01-10

The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.

Strongest earlier events

M5.22025-11-24 09:45:43 UTC46.8 kmSouth of Kermadec Islands M5.22025-09-23 12:44:31 UTC121.2 kmKermadec Islands Region M5.12025-10-21 20:02:05 UTC146.0 kmsouth of the Kermadec Islands M5.02025-01-11 20:21:15 UTC48.1 kmsouth of the Kermadec Islands M4.92025-11-24 09:45:54 UTC130.3 km

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
592
Country (24h)
—
—
Current earthquakes in
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