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New Zealand · Wellington

M4.6 Earthquake near Wellington (New Zealand)

UTC time: 2026-09-04 18:34:01 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.

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About this earthquake

On September 4, 2026 at 18:34 UTC, a magnitude M4.6 earthquake occurred near Wellington (New Zealand). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 51 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Tremors of this size are distinctly felt and can occasionally cause light damage.

The data is provided by USGS and cross-checked across seismological networks. New Zealand: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 5 earthquakes, the strongest at M4.0.

Details

ID
62b3568e520b74a96f1cbff241362b12c01a2d37
Magnitude
M4.6
Depth
50.6 km
UTC time
2026-09-04 18:34:01 UTC
Local time
—
Country
New Zealand
State
Wellington
City
Wellington
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-40.71120, 174.71190
Temperature
13.2°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 50.6 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 50.6 km
Shallow
50.6 km
50.6 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

Felt reports

4felt 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: Sep 4, 2026, 6:45 PM UTC · Last checked: Oct 5, 2026, 12:07 AM UTC

Source: EMSC / LastQuake

Estimated impact

27 Felt reports · max reported intensity 4.1

Tectonic context

Located on the Australia Plate.
Near the boundary Kermadec ↔ Australia · about 39 km away

Volcanoes nearby

  • Taranaki
    Distance: 166 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'518 m ·Last eruption: 1800 ·New Zealand
  • Ruapehu
    Distance: 175 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'797 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·New Zealand
  • Tongariro
    Distance: 190 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'978 m ·Last eruption: 2012 ·New Zealand
  • Taupo
    Distance: 237 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 760 m ·Last eruption: 260 ·New Zealand
  • Okataina
    Distance: 323 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 1'111 m ·Last eruption: 1981 ·New Zealand
  • Tuhua/Mayor Island
    Distance: 404 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 355 m ·Last eruption: -5055 ·New Zealand

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Otaki AirportNew Zealand · NZOT
    37.9 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.

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