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New Zealand · Wellington

M3.2 Earthquake near Wellington (New Zealand)

UTC time: 2026-09-18 18:41:54 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M3.2 earthquake was recorded near Wellington (New Zealand) on September 18, 2026 at 18:41 UTC. With a focal depth of about 31 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude are often felt but rarely cause damage.

The data is provided by EMSC and cross-checked across seismological networks. New Zealand: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 2 earthquakes, the strongest at M3.3.

Details

ID
63b48959a24b25821b0550ca40def645ad6c61ac
Magnitude
M3.2
Depth
31.2 km
UTC time
2026-09-18 18:41:54 UTC
Local time
—
Country
New Zealand
State
Wellington
City
Wellington
Source
emsc
Coordinates
-40.77640, 174.80360
Temperature
5.9°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 31.2 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 31.2 km
Shallow
31.2 km
31.2 km — shallower than the regional average (69.4 km)
Regional average: 69.4 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: 176 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'518 m ·Last eruption: 1800 ·New Zealand
  • Ruapehu
    Distance: 179 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'797 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·New Zealand
  • Tongariro
    Distance: 193 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'978 m ·Last eruption: 2012 ·New Zealand
  • Taupo
    Distance: 241 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 760 m ·Last eruption: 260 ·New Zealand
  • Okataina
    Distance: 326 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 1'111 m ·Last eruption: 1981 ·New Zealand
  • Tuhua/Mayor Island
    Distance: 408 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
    29.3 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-20

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

20 Sep 2025 – 20 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 716 Catalogue entries

Of 715 other entries for this area and period, 359 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

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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