Moderate mag. 4.2 earthquake - Central Hawke\'s Bay District, 84 km east of Palmerston North, New Zealand, on Wednesday, 24 Feb 2021 7:18 pm (GMT +13) -
Quake Data | Interactive map | User Reports | Earlier quakes in same area | Quakes in New Zealand| Hawke's Bay | Manawatu-Wanganui | Wellington | Waikato

Moderate magnitude 4.2 earthquake at 15 km depth
24 Feb 06:20 UTC: First to report: GEONET (NZ) after 2 minutes.
24 Feb 06:22: Magnitude recalculated from 4.3 to 4.2. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 13.6 to 15.4 km (from 8.5 to 9.6 mi).
24 Feb 06:22: Magnitude recalculated from 4.3 to 4.2. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 13.6 to 15.4 km (from 8.5 to 9.6 mi).
Update Wed, 24 Feb 2021, 06:24
Moderate magnitude 4.2 quake hits 93 km southwest of Napier City, New Zealand early evening4.2 quake 24 Feb 7:18 pm (GMT +13)
An earthquake of magnitude 4.2 occurred only 6 minutes ago 93 km southwest of Napier City, New Zealand, New Zealand's Earthquake Commission and Geological Survey (GeoNet) reported.
The quake hit at a shallow depth of 15.4 km beneath the epicenter near Napier City, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, early evening on Wednesday 24 February 2021 at 7:18 pm local time. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Our monitoring service identified a second report from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) which listed the quake at magnitude 4.3.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Takapau (pop. 600) located 36 km from the epicenter.
Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Hastings (pop. 61,700) located 76 km from the epicenter, Palmerston North (pop. 76,000) 84 km away, Taradale (pop. 16,600) 87 km away, and Napier City (pop. 56,800) 93 km away.
The quake hit at a shallow depth of 15.4 km beneath the epicenter near Napier City, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, early evening on Wednesday 24 February 2021 at 7:18 pm local time. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Our monitoring service identified a second report from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) which listed the quake at magnitude 4.3.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Takapau (pop. 600) located 36 km from the epicenter.
Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Hastings (pop. 61,700) located 76 km from the epicenter, Palmerston North (pop. 76,000) 84 km away, Taradale (pop. 16,600) 87 km away, and Napier City (pop. 56,800) 93 km away.
Earthquake data:
Date & time: 24 Feb 2021 06:18:15 UTC -
Local time at epicenter: Wednesday, 24 Feb 2021 7:18 pm (GMT +13)
Magnitude: 4.2
Depth: 15.4 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 40.29192°S / 176.59889°E

Nearest volcano: Ruapehu (143 km / 89 mi)
Nearby towns and cities:
36 km (22 mi) SE of Takapau (pop: 597) --> See nearby quakes!
76 km (47 mi) SSW of Hastings (pop: 61,700) --> See nearby quakes!
84 km (52 mi) E of Palmerston North (Manawatu-Wanganui) (pop: 76,000) --> See nearby quakes!
87 km (54 mi) SSW of Taradale (Napier City) (pop: 16,600) --> See nearby quakes!
93 km (58 mi) SSW of Napier City (pop: 56,800) --> See nearby quakes!
109 km (68 mi) NE of Masterton (Wellington) (pop: 20,700) --> See nearby quakes!
138 km (86 mi) ESE of Wanganui (Manawatu-Wanganui) (pop: 40,300) --> See nearby quakes!
175 km (109 mi) NE of Lower Hutt (Wellington) (pop: 101,200) --> See nearby quakes!
189 km (118 mi) NE of Wellington (pop: 381,900) --> See nearby quakes!
301 km (187 mi) SSE of Hamilton (Waikato) (pop: 152,600) --> See nearby quakes!
Weather at epicenter at time of quake:
Light Rain
23.9°C (75 F), humidity: 52%, wind: 4 m/s (9 kts) from W
Primary data source: GEONET (NZ) (Earthquake Commission and Geological Survey, New Zealand)Light Rain

Estimated released energy: 1.3 x 1011 joules (35 megawatt hours, equivalent to 30.1 tons of TNT) More info
Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies
Info: The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.
Magnitude | Depth | Location | Source |
4.2 | 15 km | New Zealand | GEONET (NZ) |
4.5 | 23 km | NORTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND | EMSC |
4.5 | 23 km | 71 Km NE of Castlepoint, New Zealand | USGS |
User reports for this quake
User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.
be the first to report it!
There are no user reports for this quake yet. If you felt it Earlier earthquakes in the same area since 1900
- Date / time UTC| Mag |Depth|Age|Distance| Details
- 02 Feb 1931 22:46| 7.4 |35km / 22mi|90 years ago|72km / 45mi| Central Hawke's Bay District, 37 km W of Hastings, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
- 13 Feb 1931 01:27| 7.3 |45km / 28mi|90 years ago|96km / 60mi| Rangitikei District, Manawatu-Wanganui, 57 km W of Hastings, New Zealand
- 05 Mar 1934 11:46| 7.2 |35km / 22mi|87 years ago|123km / 76mi| Tasman Sea, 18 km NW of Levin, New Zealand
- 25 Mar 1947 20:32| 7.0 |165km / 103mi|74 years ago|170km / 106mi| 19 km NE of Wairoa, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
- 24 Jun 1942 11:16| 7.0 |15km / 9.3mi|79 years ago|117km / 73mi| 31 km SE of Masterton, Wellington, New Zealand
- 01 Aug 1942 12:34| 6.8 |35km / 22mi|79 years ago|116km / 72mi| 11 km SE of Levin, Horowhenua District, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand
- 28 Jun 1921 13:58| 6.7 |25km / 16mi|100 years ago|72km / 45mi| 5.9 km SE of Hastings, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
- 05 Aug 1917 15:50| 6.6 |15km / 9.3mi|104 years ago|133km / 83mi| South Pacific Ocean, 87 km SE of Masterton, Wellington, New Zealand
- 13 May 1990 04:23| 6.4 |21km / 13mi|31 years ago|45km / 28mi| 39 km E of Palmerston North, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand
- 27 Dec 1961 23:48| 6.4 |20km / 12.4mi|59 years ago|126km / 78mi| 37 km SE of Masterton, Wellington, New Zealand
Hint: Click on Date/Time to show latest first
Show all