July 21, 2013 Earthquake: Cook Strait, New Zealand
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Cook Strait, New Zealand on July 21, 2013 at 05:09:31 UTC, 17 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
- July 21, 2013
- Time
- 05:09:31 UTC
- Place
- Cook Strait, New Zealand
- Magnitude
- 6.5 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 17 km (11 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 41.704° S, 174.337° E
- Country
- New Zealand
The toll
- Injuries
- 5
- Damage
- $50 million
- Houses damaged
- 35
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.
Four people injured in Wellington and one in Kapiti. Minor damage to 35 buildings in Wellington and one wharf collapsed. Localized power outages due to downed power lines and reports of broken water mains. Felt (VI) at Upper Hutt; (IV) at Feilding, Nelson and Wellington. Also felt at Auckland, Hamilton, Hastings, Kapiti, Levin, Marton, Masterton, Napier, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Picton, Raglan, Takaka, Te Awamutu and Upper Harbour. (reference #1053)
Wellington's mayor is hopeful it will be business as normal tomorrow despite 35 buildings in the CBD found to have been externally damaged by yesterday's severe earthquake. Engineers have spent the day assessing almost 2500 buildings in central Wellington following the magnitude-6.5 quake which struck in the Cook Strait just after 5pm yesterday. The quake, which has been followed by hundreds of aftershocks, caused widespread damage. Mayor Celia Wade-Brown said most of it was minor and no structural damage had been discovered... The shake caused about five metres of reclaimed land had subsided into the sea at Thorndon Container Terminal, taking with it a large container and a large buoy... Wellington Free Ambulance (WFA) spokesman Daniel Paul said one person was injured when a television fell on them, another was shaken out of bed and a couple more suffered anxiety chest pains. (reference #10737)
4 injured, 50 million USD total damages (reference #1250)
14.9 NZ Dollars in insured claims (reference #13230)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- June 16, 1929, South Island, New Zealand
- October 18, 1848, Awatere River, Marlborough, New Zealand
- May 23, 1968, NW Coast, South Island, New Zealand
- November 13, 2016, Amberley, New Zealand
- August 16, 2013, Wellington, Marlborough, New Zealand
- December 3, 2011, Cook Strait, New Zealand
- October 15, 1848, Northern New Zealand
- January 23, 1855, Wellington,waiouru,wanganui,otaki, New Zealand
- January 20, 2005, North Island, New Zealand
- March 5, 1934, North Island, New Zealand
- January 20, 2014, Wellington, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand
- September 8, 1991, Wellington, Wanganui, New Zealand
- December 25, 1922, SE. New Zealand
More
Significant earthquakes of 2013The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2013Recent 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 10021.