M6.9 earthquake - 144 km SE of Waipawa, New Zealand

What happened

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 144 km SE of Waipawa, New Zealand on 8 Aug 1904, 22:50 UTC at a depth of 30 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Strong. Can cause damage in populated areas up to tens of kilometres away. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Masterton, about 172 km away in Wellington Region, New Zealand.