M5.3 earthquake - south of the Kermadec Islands

What happened

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck south of the Kermadec Islands on 29 Mar 2016, 11:03 UTC at a depth of 262 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was an intermediate-depth earthquake, so shaking is spread over a wider, gentler area.