M5.0 earthquake - south of the Kermadec Islands

What happened

A magnitude 5 earthquake struck south of the Kermadec Islands on 30 Dec 2016, 02:58 UTC at a depth of 10 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.