M4.2 earthquake near Blenheim, Marlborough

What happened

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 33 km SSE of Blenheim, New Zealand on 22 Dec 2016, 05:41 UTC at a depth of 19 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Light. Widely felt nearby; objects may shake or fall. Significant damage is unusual. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Blenheim, about 34 km away in Marlborough, New Zealand.