M7.6 earthquake - off the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand

What happened

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck off the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand on 25 May 1981, 05:25 UTC at a depth of 33 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Major. Can cause serious damage over large areas. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.