5.0

M5.0 Earthquake south of the Kermadec Islands — July 18, 2020

2020-07-18 12:00:46 UTC (2020-07-18) · approx. 12:00 AM UTC-12 local

MagnitudeM5.0(mww)
Time12:00 UTC≈ 12:00 AM UTC-12
Depth10.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates-33.372°, -177.799°
Felt byNo felt reports
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On July 18, 2020 at 12:00 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck south of the Kermadec Islands, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -33.3719°, -177.7990°.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 477 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.7 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

Map showing earthquake epicenter at -33.37°, -177.80°

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.0 mww
Depth
10.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
-33.3719°N
-177.7990°E

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000aqtt
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
385
Azimuthal Gap
59.0°
Min Station Distance
16.003°
RMS Residual
0.57 sec
Last Updated
2020-09-26 16:58:36 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.0 earthquake south of the Kermadec Islands?

The magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck south of the Kermadec Islands on July 18, 2020 at 12:00 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 -33.3719°, -177.7990°, which is south of the Kermadec Islands.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.0 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000aqtt). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, July 18, 2020). M5.0 Earthquake south of the Kermadec Islands — July 18, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2020 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000aqtt/