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New Zealand · Southland

M5.3 Earthquake near Fiordland Community, Southland (New Zealand)

UTC time: 2026-09-02 06:13:34 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded Content updated:

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.

Magnitude
M5.3
Depth
10.0 km
Source
USGS

Southland · Fiordland Community

Country overview

Map

M5.3 Earthquake near Fiordland Community, Southland (New Zealand) · 2026-09-02 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.3 Earthquake near Fiordland Community, Southland (New Zealand) · 2026-09-02 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On September 2, 2026 at 06:13 UTC, a magnitude M5.3 earthquake occurred near Fiordland Community, Southland (New Zealand). With a focal depth of about 10 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

The data is provided by USGS and cross-checked across seismological networks. New Zealand: 5 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M4.0.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 10 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 10 km
Shallow
10 km
10 km — shallower than the regional average (70.9 km)
Regional average: 70.9 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

Felt reports

7felt reports at EMSC / LastQuake

Voluntary reports of feeling this earthquake. The count is not an intensity measurement and is not added to USGS DYFI reports.

Data updated: Sep 2, 2026, 7:10 AM UTC · Last checked: Oct 3, 2026, 12:07 AM UTC

Source: EMSC / LastQuake

Estimated impact

Green No or minimal impact expected.
Estimated population exposed
IV 27'472
24 Felt reports · max reported intensity 4.1

Ground shaking

VI
Strong · Intensity (MMI) VI
Strongly felt, light building damage possible.

Tectonic context

Located on the Pacific Plate.
Near the boundary Australia ↔ Pacific · about 20 km away

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Invercargill217.6 kmS58'000
Dunedin234.7 kmSE132'800
Auckland1004.4 kmNE1'547'200

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Queenstown AirportNew Zealand · ZQN · NZQN
    73.0 kmStraight-line distance
  • Wanaka AirportNew Zealand · WKA · NZWF
    80.9 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-10-05

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

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours7
First 24 hours10
First 72 hours19
Strongest subsequent eventM5.2
M5.22026-09-02 06:57:12 UTC4.5 kmFiordland Community M3.02026-09-02 07:09:26 UTC0.9 kmFiordland Community M3.22026-09-02 07:29:01 UTC1.0 kmFiordland Community M3.72026-09-02 08:05:29 UTC6.8 kmFiordland Community M3.12026-09-02 10:55:04 UTC5.2 kmFiordland Community M3.12026-09-02 11:28:23 UTC4.3 kmFiordland Community M3.12026-09-02 11:47:26 UTC5.4 kmFiordland Community M3.12026-09-02 13:28:37 UTC1.6 kmFiordland Community M3.12026-09-02 14:53:54 UTC6.3 kmFiordland Community M3.02026-09-02 15:48:18 UTC3.3 kmFiordland Community M3.62026-09-03 10:02:29 UTC1.7 kmFiordland Community M3.32026-09-03 12:13:33 UTC2.3 kmFiordland Community

Comparison of seismic sources

3 sources currently report magnitudes from M5.3 to M5.3.

Measurements can differ because agencies use different networks and calculation methods. Values may be revised.

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
USGSM5.310.0 km0.0 km
GFZM5.310.0 km21.9 km
EMSCM5.310.0 km2.7 km

Southland

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 147 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

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#3
Earlier events M≥425
Earlier events M≥52
Compared since2025-01-01

The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.

Strongest earlier events

M5.92026-07-16 09:14:54 UTC86.3 kmFiordland Community M5.42026-08-01 03:23:50 UTC116.7 kmFiordland Community M4.62025-06-03 18:55:06 UTC121.1 kmSOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND M4.52025-07-21 22:24:57 UTC117.4 kmSOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND M4.42026-07-19 14:08:17 UTC92.6 kmFiordland Community

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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