Back to map
New Zealand · Wellington

M3.1 Earthquake near Paekākāriki, Wellington (New Zealand)

UTC time: 2026-09-13 01:51:57 UTC Local time: —

Map

About this earthquake

A magnitude M3.1 earthquake was recorded near Paekākāriki, Wellington (New Zealand) on September 13, 2026 at 01:51 UTC. With a focal depth of about 24 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 event was recorded by EMSC. New Zealand: 2 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M3.3.

Details

ID
a70b61ad0f189c797239253a6f7b948df55b2955
Magnitude
M3.1
Depth
23.9 km
UTC time
2026-09-13 01:51:57 UTC
Local time
—
Country
New Zealand
State
Wellington
City
Paekākāriki
County
Kāpiti Coast District
Source
emsc
Coordinates
-40.96390, 174.88200
Temperature
12.8°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 23.9 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 23.9 km
Shallow
23.9 km
23.9 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

  • Ruapehu
    Distance: 196 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'797 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·New Zealand
  • Taranaki
    Distance: 197 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'518 m ·Last eruption: 1800 ·New Zealand
  • Tongariro
    Distance: 211 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'978 m ·Last eruption: 2012 ·New Zealand
  • Taupo
    Distance: 258 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 760 m ·Last eruption: 260 ·New Zealand
  • Okataina
    Distance: 342 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 1'111 m ·Last eruption: 1981 ·New Zealand
  • Tuhua/Mayor Island
    Distance: 426 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
    30.1 kmStraight-line distance
  • Wellington International AirportNew Zealand · WLG · NZWN
    40.8 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, 476 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.

Share