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New Zealand · Taranaki

M4.2 Earthquake near South Taranaki District, Taranaki (New Zealand)

UTC time: 2026-09-05 18:46:09 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded

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

Magnitude
M4.2
Depth
5.0 km
Source
EMSC

Taranaki · South Taranaki District

Country overview

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About this earthquake

On September 5, 2026 at 18:46 UTC, a magnitude M4.2 earthquake occurred near South Taranaki District, Taranaki (New Zealand). With a focal depth of about 5 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Tremors of this size are distinctly felt and can occasionally cause light damage.

The event was recorded by EMSC. New Zealand: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 2 earthquakes, the strongest at M4.0.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 5 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 5 km
Shallow
5 km
5 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: 21 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'518 m ·Last eruption: 1800 ·New Zealand
  • Ruapehu
    Distance: 149 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'797 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·New Zealand
  • Tongariro
    Distance: 155 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'978 m ·Last eruption: 2012 ·New Zealand
  • Taupo
    Distance: 185 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 760 m ·Last eruption: 260 ·New Zealand
  • Okataina
    Distance: 261 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 1'111 m ·Last eruption: 1981 ·New Zealand
  • Auckland Volcanic Field
    Distance: 275 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
    39.0 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, 2 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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