Story: Historic earthquakes

Extent of shaking, Arthur’s Pass earthquake, 9 March 1929

The Modified Mercalli scale (from 1 to 12) measures earthquakes by the intensity of shaking observed. Reports from historical records and diaries have been used to compile this map, which shows the shaking from the Arthur’s Pass earthquake. The earthquake was widely felt in central New Zealand. Because no one was killed, this earthquake has been less widely reported than the Murchison earthquake, which struck a few months later.

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Source: G. L. Downes, Atlas of isoseismal maps of New Zealand earthquakes. Lower Hutt: Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, 1995.

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How to cite this page:

Eileen McSaveney, 'Historic earthquakes - The 1929 Arthur’s Pass and Murchison earthquakes', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/interactive/4492/extent-of-shaking-arthurs-pass-earthquake-9-march-1929 (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Eileen McSaveney, published 12 Jun 2006, reviewed & revised 28 Mar 2011, updated 1 Nov 2017