M7.1 earthquake near Richmond, Tasman District

What happened

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 38 km E of Westport, New Zealand on 23 May 1968, 17:24 UTC at a depth of 23 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.

The nearest town in our records is Richmond, about 103 km away in Tasman District, New Zealand.