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New Zealand · Taranaki

M3.3 Earthquake near South Taranaki District, Taranaki (New Zealand)

UTC time: 2026-09-05 18:21:16 UTC Local time: —
Magnitude
M3.3
Depth
7.4 km
Source
EMSC

Taranaki · South Taranaki District

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About this earthquake

On September 5, 2026 at 18:21 UTC, a magnitude M3.3 earthquake occurred near South Taranaki District, Taranaki (New Zealand). With a focal depth of about 7 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Shaking of this size is frequently noticed but usually harmless.

The data is provided by EMSC and cross-checked across seismological networks. New Zealand: 2 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M4.0.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 7.4 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 7.4 km
Shallow
7.4 km
7.4 km — shallower than the regional average (69.5 km)
Regional average: 69.5 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: 15 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'518 m ·Last eruption: 1800 ·New Zealand
  • Ruapehu
    Distance: 144 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'797 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·New Zealand
  • Tongariro
    Distance: 150 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'978 m ·Last eruption: 2012 ·New Zealand
  • Taupo
    Distance: 182 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 760 m ·Last eruption: 260 ·New Zealand
  • Okataina
    Distance: 259 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 1'111 m ·Last eruption: 1981 ·New Zealand
  • Auckland Volcanic Field
    Distance: 279 km ·Volcanic field ·Elevation: 260 m ·Last eruption: 1446 ·New Zealand

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • New Plymouth AirportNew Zealand · NPL · NZNP
    39.9 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-21

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

Taranaki

Context for this earthquake

21 Sep 2025 – 21 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 32 Catalogue entries

Of 31 other entries for this area and period, 10 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · New Zealand

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Country statistics · New Zealand

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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