Back to map
New Zealand · Southland

M5.9 Earthquake near Fiordland Community, Southland (New Zealand)

UTC time: 2026-07-16 09:14:54 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded Content updated:

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.

Magnitude
M5.9
Depth
76.4 km
Source
USGS

Southland · Fiordland Community

Country overview

Map

M5.9 Earthquake near Fiordland Community, Southland (New Zealand) · 2026-07-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.9 Earthquake near Fiordland Community, Southland (New Zealand) · 2026-07-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.9 earthquake was recorded near Fiordland Community, Southland (New Zealand) on July 16, 2026 at 09:14 UTC. At around 76 km, the focal depth places this among intermediate-depth events. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The data is provided by USGS and cross-checked across seismological networks. New Zealand: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 6 earthquakes, the strongest at M4.0.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 76.4 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 76.4 km
Intermediate
76.4 km
76.4 km — close to the regional average (71 km)
Regional average: 71 km
Why depth matters

Intermediate-depth quakes are felt across a wider area but usually cause less surface damage.

Depth classes per USGS

Felt reports

22felt reports at EMSC / LastQuake

Voluntary reports of feeling this earthquake. The count is not an intensity measurement and is not added to USGS DYFI reports.

Data updated: Jul 16, 2026, 9:59 AM UTC · Last checked: Sep 6, 2026, 12:18 PM UTC

Source: EMSC / LastQuake

Estimated impact

Green No or minimal impact expected.
Estimated population exposed
IV 132'213
V 2'575
31 Felt reports · max reported intensity 4.2

Ground shaking

V
Moderate · Intensity (MMI) V
Felt by all, slight damage possible.

Tectonic context

Located on the Pacific Plate.
Near the boundary Australia ↔ Pacific · about 45 km away

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Invercargill161.4 kmS58'000
Dunedin243.8 kmSE132'800
Auckland1090.4 kmNE1'547'200

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Queenstown AirportNew Zealand · ZQN · NZQN
    89.3 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

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours12
First 24 hours18
First 72 hours23
Strongest subsequent eventM5.4
M3.62026-07-16 09:21:05 UTC3.4 kmFiordland Community M3.42026-07-16 09:28:31 UTC5.9 kmFiordland Community M3.52026-07-16 09:39:51 UTC6.7 kmFiordland Community M3.22026-07-16 09:46:33 UTC5.6 kmFiordland Community M3.92026-07-16 09:51:51 UTC5.8 kmFiordland Community M3.42026-07-16 09:57:45 UTC6.4 kmFiordland Community M3.12026-07-16 10:04:06 UTC12.1 kmFiordland Community M3.12026-07-16 11:17:33 UTC7.3 kmFiordland Community M3.52026-07-16 11:32:09 UTC8.5 kmFiordland Community M3.32026-07-16 13:09:37 UTC3.3 kmFiordland Community M3.22026-07-16 13:25:00 UTC3.6 kmFiordland Community M3.62026-07-16 14:26:36 UTC14.5 kmFiordland Community

Comparison of seismic sources

5 sources currently report magnitudes from M5.5 to M5.9.

Measurements can differ because agencies use different networks and calculation methods. Values may be revised.

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
GFZM5.610.0 km26.4 km
RESIFM5.510.0 km17.1 km
INGVM5.932.4 km14.7 km
USGSM5.976.4 km0.0 km
EMSCM5.694.0 km19.6 km

Southland

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 147 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

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#1
Earlier events M≥415
Earlier events M≥50
Compared since2025-01-01

The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.

Strongest earlier events

M4.72025-07-09 23:09:29 UTC108.4 kmOFF W. COAST OF S. ISLAND, N.Z. M4.62025-06-03 18:55:06 UTC39.6 kmSOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND M4.52026-02-16 13:16:47 UTC142.3 kmTuatapere Te Waewae Community M4.52025-07-21 22:24:57 UTC31.1 kmSOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND M4.42026-02-07 12:09:21 UTC58.4 kmOFF W. COAST OF S. ISLAND, N.Z.

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.

Share