Live earthquake check
Earthquakes near Wellington today
Updated
No M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km of Wellington in the last 24 hours None in the past 30 days either.
Was there an earthquake in Wellington just now? This page checks the live USGS catalogue for quakes around Wellington, Wellington 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 62 km N, Sep 4, 2026
- Past year count
- 28 M2.5+ within 150 km
- Nearest in 30 days
- 116 km M4.2, Oct 12, 2026
Recent earthquakes near Wellington
No earthquake of magnitude 2.5 or more was located within 100 km of Wellington in the past 30 days. Between 100 and 150 km out there were 2, the closest M4.2 at 116 km NE.
| Time (Wellington) | UTC | Magnitude | Distance | Depth | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 12, 19:52 | Oct 12, 06:52 UTC | M4.2 | 116 km NE | 32 km | 25 km SSE of Pahiatua, New Zealand |
| Sep 27, 23:32 | Sep 27, 10:32 UTC | M4.0 | 138 km NE | 49 km | 5 km NNE of Mangatainoka, New Zealand |
M2.5+ within 150 km, past 30 days, newest first. Times in Pacific/Auckland.
Largest earthquakes near Wellington in the past year
The strongest earthquake within 150 km of Wellington in the past 12 months was M4.6 on Sep 4, 2026, 62 km N of the city (28 km NW of Raumati Beach, New Zealand).
With 28 M2.5+ earthquakes in a year (about 2.3 a month), the area around Wellington is active by global standards. 9 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 | 62 km N | 49 km | 28 km NW of Raumati Beach, New Zealand |
| Jan 27, 2026 | M4.6 | 91 km N | 41 km | 30 km W of Foxton Beach, New Zealand |
| Sep 14, 2026 | M4.5 | 121 km NNW | 98 km | 64 km SSW of Patea, New Zealand |
| Jun 2, 2026 | M4.5 | 34 km NW | 68 km | 28 km W of Titahi Bay, New Zealand |
| May 29, 2026 | M4.5 | 61 km SSW | 15 km | 42 km SE of Witherlea, New Zealand |
| Feb 16, 2026 | M4.5 | 68 km NNW | 77 km | 43 km WNW of Raumati Beach, New Zealand |
| Dec 25, 2025 | M4.5 | 131 km ENE | 26 km | 25 km NNW of Castlepoint, New Zealand |
| Dec 3, 2025 | M4.5 | 150 km NE | 20 km | 32 km ESE of Mangatainoka, New Zealand |
| Nov 6, 2025 | M4.5 | 16 km W | 43 km | 12 km W of Karori, New Zealand |
| Jun 28, 2026 | M4.4 | 108 km NNW | 77 km | 65 km S of Patea, New Zealand |
Was it felt in Wellington?
USGS "Did You Feel It?" received reports for 1 of these quakes: M4.0 on Sep 27, 2026 (1 reports, max intensity 3.8).
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 Wellington 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 146 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 Wellington
Data: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (ComCat), GeoNames (cities, CC BY 4.0).