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New Zealand · Manawatū-Whanganui

M2.3 Earthquake near Palmerston North, Manawatū-Whanganui (New Zealand)

UTC time: 2026-10-29 12:24:27 UTC Local time: —
Magnitude
M2.3
Depth
39.0 km
Source
GEONET

Manawatū-Whanganui · Palmerston North

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About this earthquake

On October 29, 2026 at 12:24 UTC, a magnitude M2.3 earthquake occurred near Palmerston North, Manawatū-Whanganui (New Zealand). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 39 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this small magnitude are usually barely noticeable and cause no damage.

The event was recorded by GeoNet. New Zealand: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 60 earthquakes, the strongest at M3.2.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 39 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 39 km
Shallow
39 km
39 km — shallower than the regional average (64.2 km)
Regional average: 64.2 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

  • Ruapehu
    Distance: 132 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'797 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·New Zealand
  • Tongariro
    Distance: 145 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'978 m ·Last eruption: 2012 ·New Zealand
  • Taranaki
    Distance: 186 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'518 m ·Last eruption: 1800 ·New Zealand
  • Taupo
    Distance: 188 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 760 m ·Last eruption: 260 ·New Zealand
  • Okataina
    Distance: 267 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 1'111 m ·Last eruption: 1981 ·New Zealand
  • Whakaari/White Island
    Distance: 353 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 294 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·New Zealand

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Palmerston North AirportNew Zealand · PMR · NZPM
    15.8 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-11-13

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

Manawatū-Whanganui

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 2.0 · 107 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

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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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