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Earthquake of magnitude 6.0 jolts West of Macquarie Island

West of Macquarie is a subantarctic island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica

Published: Fri 25 Jul 2025, 6:49 PM

An earthquake of magnitude 6.0 on the Richter Scale jolted the West of Macquarie Island, a statement by the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said.

The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10km, making it susceptible to aftershocks.

In a post on X, the NCS, "EQ of M: 6.0, On: 25/07/2025 16:52:03 IST, Lat: 55.51 S, Long: 146.27 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: West of Macquarie Island."

West of Macquarie is a subantarctic island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica.

Shallow earthquakes are generally more dangerous than deep earthquakes. This is because the seismic waves from shallow earthquakes have a shorter distance to travel to the surface, resulting in stronger ground shaking and potentially more damage to structures and greater casualties.

Major shallow earthquakes on the Macquarie Ridge in the past 100 years have exposed two seismic gaps, one centred on Macquarie Island. The Macquarie Ridge was created by crustal shortening due to oblique convergence of oceanic crust of the Pacific and Australian Plates.