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Magnitude 7.1 - MACQUARIE ISLAND REGION

2008 April 12 00:30:11 UTC

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Earthquake Details

Magnitude7.1
Date-Time
Location55.681°S, 158.527°E
Depth10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
RegionMACQUARIE ISLAND REGION
Distances120 km (75 miles) SSW of Macquarie Island, Australia
760 km (470 miles) SW of Auckland Island, New Zealand
1995 km (1240 miles) SSW of WELLINGTON, New Zealand
2370 km (1470 miles) SSE of CANBERRA, A.C.T., Australia
Location Uncertaintyhorizontal +/- 8.2 km (5.1 miles); depth fixed by location program
ParametersNST=207, Nph=207, Dmin=>999 km, Rmss=1.05 sec, Gp= 58°,
M-type=moment magnitude (Mw), Version=8
Source
  • USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event IDus2008qtae
  • This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.
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Earthquake Summary

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Earthquake Summary Poster

  • The following is a release by the United States Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center: An earthquake occurred 110 km (70 miles) SSW of Macquarie Island, Australia. 755 km (470 miles) SW of Auckland Island, New Zealand 1995 km (1240 miles) SSW of WELLINGTON, New Zealand at 5:30 PM MST, Apr 11, 2008 (Apr 12 at 11:30 AM local time in New Zealand). The magnitude and location may be revised when additional data and further analysis results are available. There have been no reports of damage at this time.

    • Tectonic Summary

    The April 12th, 2008 earthquake south of the Macquarie Islands indicates thrust faulting on the plate boundary between the Australian and Pacific Plates in the southwest Pacific Ocean. The earthquake is located in a region of rapid transitions in plate motion from convergence at the Hjort Trench (just south of the earthquake) to strike-slip motion along the Macquarie Ridge (north of the earthquake), brought about by the close proximity of this section of the plate boundary to the Australia:Pacific pole of rotation. This plate boundary transition is delineated by earthquakes of both thrust and strike-slip orientation in the vicinity of the 04/12/2008 earthquake. In the epicentral region of this event, the Australian Plate moves north-northeast with respect to the Pacific Plate at a rate of approximately 27 mm/yr.

    The Australia-Pacific plate boundary south of New Zealand experiences numerous strong earthquakes, and has hosted great (M8+) earthquakes in recent history. In 1989, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake occurred on the plate boundary approximately 380km north of the 04/12/2008 event, and most recently a magnitude 8.1 event occurred within the Australian Plate west of the plate boundary another 250 km further north. The 04/12/2008 event is the largest known historic earthquake on the section of the plate boundary south of the 1989 event since a nearby magnitude 8.3 earthquake in 1924.