M5.3 Earthquake in the Kermadec Islands region — September 20, 2021
2021-09-20 18:08:17 UTC (2021-09-20) · approx. 6:08 AM UTC+12 local
Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.
On September 20, 2021 at 18:08 UTC, a magnitude 5.3 deep-focus earthquake struck in the Kermadec Islands region, at a depth of 410.5 km and coordinates -31.8046°, 179.6373°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 1 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.7 km — 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 1 citizen response 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
179.6373°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake in the Kermadec Islands region?
The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck in the Kermadec Islands region on September 20, 2021 at 18:08 UTC had a depth of 410.5 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -31.8046°, 179.6373°, which is in the Kermadec Islands region.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.3 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000fcy4). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, September 20, 2021). M5.3 Earthquake in the Kermadec Islands region — September 20, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000fcy4/