October 20, 1986 Earthquake: Raoul, Kermadec Islands
A magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck Raoul, Kermadec Islands on October 20, 1986 at 06:46:09 UTC, 29 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- October 20, 1986
- Time
- 06:46:09 UTC
- Place
- Raoul, Kermadec Islands
- Magnitude
- 8.1 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 29 km (18 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 28.117° S, 176.367° W
- Country
- Kermadec Islands
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Objects knocked from shelves on Raoul Island. Felt at Napier and Wellington, New Zealand.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 7, 1961, Kermadec Islands
- September 14, 1959, Kermadec Islands
- February 27, 1955, Kermadec Islands
- June 18, 1993, Kermadec Islands
- October 21, 2011, Kermadec Islands
- March 14, 2020, Kermadec Islands
- May 1, 1917, Kermadec Islands
- November 16, 1917, S of, Kermadec Islands
- July 6, 2011, Kermadec Islands, New Zealand
- January 14, 1976, Kermadec Islands
- January 29, 2022, Kermadec Islands, New Zealand
More
Significant earthquakes of 1986The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1986Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 5115.