M6.0 Earthquake in the Kermadec Islands region — May 31, 2025
2025-05-31 21:21:11 UTC (2025-05-31) · approx. 9:21 AM UTC-12 local
On May 31, 2025 at 21:21 UTC, a magnitude 6.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck in the Kermadec Islands region, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -28.1865°, -178.5389°. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 70 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 554, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 6.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 15 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 8.3 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Earthquake Details
-178.5389°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 6.0 earthquake in the Kermadec Islands region?
The magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck in the Kermadec Islands region on May 31, 2025 at 21:21 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -28.1865°, -178.5389°, which is in the Kermadec Islands region.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 6.0 earthquakes can continue for weeks to months and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000qh59). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, May 31, 2025). M6.0 Earthquake in the Kermadec Islands region — May 31, 2025. Retrieved August 16, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000qh59/