1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake

1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake
Hastings Post Office
1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake is located in New Zealand
1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake
1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake (New Zealand)
UTC time1931-02-02 22:46:52
ISC event906607
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local date3 February 1931
Local time10:46:52 NZDT
Duration2:20 seconds
Magnitude7.8 Ms
7.7 Mw[1]
Depth14 km (8.7 mi)
Epicentre39°18′S 177°00′E / 39.3°S 177.0°E / -39.3; 177.0
Areas affectedNapier, Hastings, Hawkes Bay
Total damagearound 2000 buildings
Max. intensityMMI IX (Violent)[2]
Casualties256 dead, thousands injured
Damage to the Hawkes Bay Tribune building

The 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake, also known as the Napier earthquake, occurred in New Zealand at 10:47 am on 3 February, killing 256,[3] injuring thousands and devastating the Hawke's Bay region. It remains New Zealand's deadliest natural disaster. Centred 15 km north of Napier, it lasted for two and a half minutes and had a magnitude of 7.8 Ms (7.7 Mw).[1] There were 525 aftershocks recorded in the following two weeks, with 597 being recorded by the end of February. The main shock could be felt in much of New Zealand, with reliable reports coming in from as far south as Timaru, on the east coast of the South Island.[4]

  1. ^ a b Webb, T.H.; Anderson, H. (1998). "Focal mechanisms of large earthquakes in the North Island of New Zealand: slip partitioning at an oblique active margin". Geophysical Journal International. 134 (1): 40–86. Bibcode:1998GeoJI.134...40W. doi:10.1046/j.1365-246x.1998.00531.x.
  2. ^ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS) (1972). "Significant Earthquake Information". NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K.
  3. ^ The exact number of deaths varies according to different sources; the New Zealand Listener article cited below gives 258 deaths, but the Bateman New Zealand Encyclopedia gives 256. The difference is due to two people "missing" and presumed dead. Some articles add these two to the death toll, while others do not.
  4. ^ "M 7.4 Hawke's Bay Tue, Feb 3 1931". GeoNet.