Very strong mag. 6.4 earthquake - South Pacific Ocean, 32 km southwest of Sunday Island, New Zealand, on Tuesday, 20 September 1949 at 11:55 (GMT)
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Very strong magnitude 6.4 earthquake at 35 km depth
Date & time: 20 Sep 1949 11:55:25 UTC
Magnitude: 6.4
Depth: 35.0 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 29.472°S / 178.167°W

Nearest volcano: Raoul Island (33 km / 21 mi)
Primary data source: USGS (United States Geological Survey)
Estimated released energy: 2.5 x 1014 joules (69.8 gigawatt hours, equivalent to 60036 tons of TNT or 3.8 atomic bombs!) More info
Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies
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Magnitude | Depth | Location | Source |
M 6.4 | 35 km | Kermadec Islands, New Zealand | USGS |
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Earlier earthquakes in the same area since 1900
- Date / time UTC| Mag |Depth|Age|Distance| Details
- 01 May 1917 18:26| 8.2 |15km / 9.3mi|104 years ago|243km / 151mi| South Pacific Ocean, New Zealand
- 02 Aug 1941 11:41| 7.2 |35km / 22mi|80 years ago|54km / 33mi| South Pacific Ocean, 55 km SE of Sunday Island, New Zealand
- 17 Apr 1919 11:22| 7.2 |35km / 22mi|102 years ago|105km / 65mi| South Pacific Ocean, New Zealand
- 14 Sep 1943 07:18| 6.9 |35km / 22mi|78 years ago|95km / 59mi| South Pacific Ocean, 1395 km NE of Wellington, New Zealand
- 16 Sep 1941 21:39| 6.9 |70km / 43mi|80 years ago|71km / 44mi| South Pacific Ocean, 31 km N of Napier Island, New Zealand
- 12 Dec 1928 20:19| 6.8 |30km / 19mi|92 years ago|231km / 144mi| South Pacific Ocean, New Zealand
- 26 Dec 1936 22:52| 6.7 |35km / 22mi|84 years ago|140km / 87mi| South Pacific Ocean, 1337 km NE of Wellington, New Zealand
- 24 Nov 1941 21:46| 6.6 |35km / 22mi|79 years ago|128km / 80mi| South Pacific Ocean, 1588 km NE of Веллингтон, New Zealand
- 27 Jul 1949 15:11| 6.5 |25km / 16mi|72 years ago|214km / 133mi| South Pacific Ocean, 1630 km NE of Веллингтон, New Zealand
- 04 Oct 1936 23:53| 6.5 |35km / 22mi|84 years ago|133km / 83mi| South Pacific Ocean, 1365 km NE of Wellington, New Zealand
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