Magnitude
M3.2
- Depth
- 35.0 km
- Source
- EMSC
Wellington
Country overviewNew Zealand
M3.2 Earthquake near COOK STRAIT, NEW ZEALAND (New Zealand)
Map
About this earthquake
A magnitude M3.2 earthquake was recorded near COOK STRAIT, NEW ZEALAND (New Zealand) on August 21, 2025 at 18:47 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 35 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this magnitude are often felt but rarely cause damage.
The event was recorded by EMSC. New Zealand: 2 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M3.0.
Details
ID
272a96f475e0be92f530f163e3fd8526675cf4e2
Magnitude
M3.2
Depth
35.0 km
UTC time
2025-08-21 18:47:24 UTC
Local time
—
Country
City
Source
emsc
Coordinates
-41.26360,
174.66450
Temperature
9.3°C
Depth profile
Shallow
35 km
35 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
Radius · 50 km
Nearby infrastructure
Airports
- Wellington International Airport13.8 kmStraight-line distance
New Zealand · WLG · NZWN
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
New Zealand
Context for this earthquake
05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 725 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 profileHistoric earthquake map · New Zealand
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Country statistics · New Zealand
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.
Stats (last 24h)
Global (24h)
594
Country (24h)
New Zealand
2