Back to map
New Zealand · Canterbury

M1.9 Earthquake near Kaikōura District, Canterbury (New Zealand)

UTC time: 2026-10-28 05:34:14 UTC Local time: —
Magnitude
M1.9
Depth
11.1 km
Source
GEONET

Canterbury · Kaikōura District

Country overview

Map

About this earthquake

A magnitude M1.9 earthquake was recorded near Kaikōura District, Canterbury (New Zealand) on October 28, 2026 at 05:34 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 11 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Events of this size typically go unnoticed.

The data is provided by GeoNet and cross-checked across seismological networks. New Zealand: 55 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M4.2.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 11.1 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 11.1 km
Shallow
11.1 km
11.1 km — shallower than the regional average (70.3 km)
Regional average: 70.3 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: 323 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'518 m ·Last eruption: 1800 ·New Zealand
  • Ruapehu
    Distance: 361 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'797 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·New Zealand
  • Tongariro
    Distance: 376 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'978 m ·Last eruption: 2012 ·New Zealand
  • Taupo
    Distance: 423 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 760 m ·Last eruption: 260 ·New Zealand

New Zealand

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 2.0 · 728 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.

Share