September 1, 2016 Earthquake: Gisborne, New Zealand
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Gisborne, New Zealand on September 1, 2016 at 16:37:57 UTC, 19 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
- September 1, 2016
- Time
- 16:37:57 UTC
- Place
- Gisborne, New Zealand
- Magnitude
- 7 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 19 km (12 mi)
- Intensity
- 5 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 37.359° S, 179.146° E
- Country
- New Zealand
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Felt (V) at Kawerau; (IV) at Gisborne, Hastings, Napier, Rotorua and Whakatane; (III) at Auckland, Kapiti, Katikati, Lower Hutt, Palmerston North, Tauranga, Te Puke, Waitakere, Wellington and Whitianga. Felt throughout the North Island and in the northern part of the South Island as far south as Christchurch. Kawerau, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand - CDI: 5; Edgecumbe, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand - CDI: 4; Opotiki, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand - CDI: 4; Waimana, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand - CDI: 4; Ruatoria, Gisborne, New Zealand - CDI: 4 (reference #13456)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- October 6, 1914, North Island, New Zealand
- December 20, 2007, Off Coast North Island, New Zealand
- March 4, 2021, Gisborne, New Zealand
- February 5, 1995, Christchurch, North Island, S Island, New Zealand
- May 17, 1947, Off Coast North Island, New Zealand
- March 25, 1947, Off Coast North Island, New Zealand
- September 8, 1880, Gisborne, New Zealand
- March 14, 1950, N. New Zealand
- 1831, Poverty Bay, North Island, New Zealand
More
Significant earthquakes of 2016The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2016Recent 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 10196.