The
1855 Wairarapa earthquake occurred on 23 January at about 9 p.m., affecting much of the
Cook Strait area of
New Zealand, including
Marlborough in the
South Island and
Wellington and
Wairarapa in the
North Island. In Wellington, close to the
epicenter, shaking lasted for at least 50 seconds. The
magnitude of the earthquake is estimated to have been in the range 8.2–8.3, the most powerful recorded in New Zealand since systematic European colonisation began in 1840. This
earthquake was associated with the largest observed movement on a strike-slip fault, maximum . It has been suggested that the surface rupture formed by this event helped influence
Charles Lyell to link earthquakes with rapid movement on
faults.