Back to map
New Zealand · Wellington

M4.0 Earthquake near Wellington (New Zealand)

UTC time: 2026-05-12 09:02:57 UTC Local time: —

Map

About this earthquake

On May 12, 2026 at 09:02 UTC, a magnitude M4.0 earthquake occurred near Wellington (New Zealand). With a focal depth of about 21 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude are clearly felt; minor damage to vulnerable buildings is possible.

The event was recorded by EMSC. New Zealand: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 5 earthquakes, the strongest at M4.0.

Details

ID
51f8bd9adaddd8032deacbb21557cda3d70eba6c
Magnitude
M4.0
Depth
21.0 km
UTC time
2026-05-12 09:02:57 UTC
Local time
—
Country
New Zealand
State
Wellington
City
Wellington
Source
emsc
Coordinates
-41.37700, 174.49930
Temperature
12.7°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 21 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 21 km
Shallow
21 km
21 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

  • Taranaki
    Distance: 234 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'518 m ·Last eruption: 1800 ·New Zealand
  • Ruapehu
    Distance: 250 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'797 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·New Zealand
  • Tongariro
    Distance: 265 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'978 m ·Last eruption: 2012 ·New Zealand
  • Taupo
    Distance: 312 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 760 m ·Last eruption: 260 ·New Zealand
  • Okataina
    Distance: 397 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 1'111 m ·Last eruption: 1981 ·New Zealand
  • Tuhua/Mayor Island
    Distance: 480 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 355 m ·Last eruption: -5055 ·New Zealand

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Wellington International AirportNew Zealand · WLG · NZWN
    26.3 kmStraight-line distance
  • Picton AerodromeNew Zealand · PCN · NZPN
    45.5 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

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 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.

Share