November 22, 2004 Earthquake: Invercargill, Southland, Otago, New Zealand
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Invercargill, Southland, Otago, New Zealand on November 22, 2004 at 20:26:23 UTC, 10 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
- November 22, 2004
- Time
- 20:26:23 UTC
- Place
- Invercargill, Southland, Otago, New Zealand
- Magnitude
- 7.1 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 10 km (6 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 46.676° S, 164.721° E
- Country
- New Zealand
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.
Minor damage at Invercargill and in the Southland-Otago area. Felt in much of the South Island and as far north as Hamilton on the North Island. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 2004The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2004Recent 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 5815.