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New Zealand

M3.9 Earthquake near NORTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND (New Zealand)

UTC time: 2025-08-21 14:19:19 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

On August 21, 2025 at 14:19 UTC, a magnitude M3.9 earthquake occurred near NORTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND (New Zealand). With a focal depth of about 22 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Shaking of this size is frequently noticed but usually harmless.

The event was recorded by EMSC.

Details

ID
02f0575ac825fc51e713c611adf4e1caf7c9f29e
Magnitude
M3.9
Depth
21.7 km
UTC time
2025-08-21 14:19:19 UTC
Local time
—
Country
New Zealand
City
Manawatū-Whanganui
Source
emsc
Coordinates
-40.23220, 175.29200
Temperature
4.1°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 21.7 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 21.7 km
Shallow
21.7 km
21.7 km — shallower than the regional average (70.9 km)
Regional average: 70.9 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Volcanoes nearby

  • Ruapehu
    Distance: 109 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'797 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·New Zealand
  • Tongariro
    Distance: 123 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'978 m ·Last eruption: 2012 ·New Zealand
  • Taranaki
    Distance: 147 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'518 m ·Last eruption: 1800 ·New Zealand
  • Taupo
    Distance: 169 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 760 m ·Last eruption: 260 ·New Zealand
  • Okataina
    Distance: 253 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 1'111 m ·Last eruption: 1981 ·New Zealand
  • Tuhua/Mayor Island
    Distance: 339 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 355 m ·Last eruption: -5055 ·New Zealand

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Palmerston North AirportNew Zealand · PMR · NZPM
    29.3 kmStraight-line distance
  • Wanganui AirportNew Zealand · WAG · NZWU
    37.6 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-10-05

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

Manawatū-Whanganui

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 107 Catalogue entries

Sufficiently reliable matching data are not currently available for a direct comparison. The area profile shows the available records and their limitations.

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · New Zealand

Open history map
Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · New Zealand

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
596
Country (24h)
New Zealand
0
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