M2.6 Earthquake 13 km E of Christchurch, New Zealand — February 18, 2021
2021-02-18 20:33:54 UTC (2021-02-18) · approx. 8:33 AM UTC+12 local
On February 18, 2021 at 20:33 UTC, a magnitude 2.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck 13 km E of Christchurch, New Zealand, at a depth of 16.5 km and coordinates -43.5148°, 172.7935°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 2.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 120 kg of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 37 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 8 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
172.7935°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 2.6 earthquake near Christchurch, New Zealand?
The magnitude 2.6 earthquake that struck 13 km E of Christchurch, New Zealand on February 18, 2021 at 20:33 UTC had a depth of 16.5 km. For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 2.6 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
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Understanding This Data
Magnitude 2.6 earthquakes are typically only recorded by instruments.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000dir2). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, February 18, 2021). M2.6 Earthquake 13 km E of Christchurch, New Zealand — February 18, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000dir2/