Live earthquake check
Earthquakes near Nelson today
Updated
No M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km of Nelson in the last 24 hours None in the past 30 days either.
Was there an earthquake in Nelson just now? This page checks the live USGS catalogue for quakes around Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand and updates every few minutes.
- Last 24 hours
- 0 M2.5+ within 100 km
- Last 7 days
- 0 M2.5+ within 100 km
- Last 30 days
- 0 M2.5+ within 100 km
- Largest in 30 days
- — none within 100 km
- Largest in past year
- M4.6 137 km ENE, Sep 4, 2026
- Past year count
- 18 M2.5+ within 150 km
- Nearest in 30 days
- —
Recent earthquakes near Nelson
No earthquake of magnitude 2.5 or more was located within 100 km of Nelson in the past 30 days.
M2.5+ within 150 km, past 30 days, newest first. Times in Pacific/Auckland.
Largest earthquakes near Nelson in the past year
The strongest earthquake within 150 km of Nelson in the past 12 months was M4.6 on Sep 4, 2026, 137 km ENE of the city (28 km NW of Raumati Beach, New Zealand).
With 18 M2.5+ earthquakes in a year (about 1.5 a month), the area around Nelson is moderately active by global standards. 6 of the ten largest reached M4.5, the level at which damage near the epicentre becomes possible.
| Date | Magnitude | Distance | Depth | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4, 2026 | M4.6 | 137 km ENE | 49 km | 28 km NW of Raumati Beach, New Zealand |
| Sep 14, 2026 | M4.5 | 132 km NE | 98 km | 64 km SSW of Patea, New Zealand |
| Jun 2, 2026 | M4.5 | 104 km ENE | 68 km | 28 km W of Titahi Bay, New Zealand |
| May 29, 2026 | M4.5 | 105 km ESE | 15 km | 42 km SE of Witherlea, New Zealand |
| Feb 16, 2026 | M4.5 | 124 km ENE | 77 km | 43 km WNW of Raumati Beach, New Zealand |
| Nov 6, 2025 | M4.5 | 109 km E | 43 km | 12 km W of Karori, New Zealand |
| Jun 28, 2026 | M4.4 | 142 km NE | 77 km | 65 km S of Patea, New Zealand |
| Jun 16, 2026 | M4.4 | 102 km ENE | 69 km | 30 km W of Titahi Bay, New Zealand |
| May 12, 2026 | M4.4 | 106 km ESE | 29 km | 23 km SW of Owhiro Bay, New Zealand |
| May 2, 2026 | M4.3 | 132 km E | 44 km | 1 km ENE of Grenada North, New Zealand |
Was it felt in Nelson?
None of the quakes listed has "Did You Feel It?" reports in the USGS feed, which usually means shaking at the surface was weak or the area has few reporters.
If you felt shaking, you can report it to USGS; reports refine the intensity map within minutes.
Tsunami warning status
None of the earthquakes near Nelson in the past year carried the USGS tsunami flag, which USGS sets for large quakes in oceanic regions where the tsunami warning centres issue messages.
Official tsunami warnings come from the NOAA tsunami warning centres (tsunami.gov) and national agencies; follow local authorities if you are on a coast after strong shaking.
Earthquakes around the world today
Worldwide, USGS listed 154 earthquakes of M1+ in the last 24 hours; the largest was M6.5 Bonin Islands, Japan region.
USGS lists every magnitude in the United States but outside it coverage is complete only from about M4–4.5, so smaller local quakes reported by national agencies may be missing. Magnitudes and locations are revised for hours after an event.
Earthquakes near other cities in New Zealand and nearby
Earthquake pages
More live data for Nelson
Data: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (ComCat), GeoNames (cities, CC BY 4.0).