5.2

M5.2 Earthquake in the Kermadec Islands regionApril 17, 2023

2023-04-17 11:01:33 UTC (2023-04-17) · approx. 11:01 PM UTC-12 local

Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM5.2(mb)
Time11:01 UTC11:01 PM UTC-12
Depth10.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates-31.773°, -178.864°
Felt by1DYFI response
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On April 17, 2023 at 11:01 UTC, a magnitude 5.2 shallow crustal earthquake struck in the Kermadec Islands region, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -31.7726°, -178.8645°. This earthquake was detected by 47 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 416, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 951 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.3 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

Map showing earthquake epicenter at -31.77°, -178.86°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 1 citizen response to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M5.2 earthquake near Kermadec Islands region

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.2 mb
Depth
10.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
-31.7726°N
-178.8645°E
Felt Reports
1
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
2.2
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000k50l
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
416
Stations Used
47
Azimuthal Gap
57.0°
Min Station Distance
2.632°
RMS Residual
0.87 sec
Last Updated
2023-07-03 02:47:32 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.2 earthquake in the Kermadec Islands region?

The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that struck in the Kermadec Islands region on April 17, 2023 at 11:01 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at -31.7726°, -178.8645°, which is in the Kermadec Islands region.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.2 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000k50l). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, April 17, 2023). M5.2 Earthquake in the Kermadec Islands regionApril 17, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000k50l/