Magnitude
M3.0
- Depth
- 5.0 km
- Source
- EMSC
Canterbury · Selwyn District
Country overviewNew Zealand · Canterbury
M3.0 Earthquake near Selwyn District, Canterbury (New Zealand)
Map
About this earthquake
On January 12, 2026 at 15:17 UTC, a magnitude M3.0 earthquake occurred near Selwyn District, Canterbury (New Zealand). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 5 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: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 3 earthquakes, the strongest at M4.0.
Details
ID
32acc51c32e1719e9a08617534b0edb160a8be2e
Magnitude
M3.0
Depth
5.0 km
UTC time
2026-01-12 15:17:26 UTC
Local time
—
Country
State
City
County
Source
emsc
Coordinates
-43.51130,
171.82150
Temperature
8.8°C
Depth profile
Shallow
5 km
5 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
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)
613
Country (24h)
New Zealand
3
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