Significant M5.1 Earthquake struck on Tuesday Evening near Palmerston North in New Zealand.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 28th, 2025. Last updated January 30th, 2025.

A significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck under land 30 kilometer from Palmerston North in New Zealand in the evening of Tuesday January 28th, 2025. Around 1.2 million people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in New Zealand, 30 kilometer (19 mi) south-southeast of Palmerston North in Manawatu-Wanganui. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 45 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jan 28, 2025 23:26 (Auckland Time) - Jan 28, 2025 10:26 Universal Time.
Location:	30 km SSE of Palmerston North, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand. Coordinates 40°35'26"S 175°47'19"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.1 Detected by 12 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.089 .
Depth:	45 km (28 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 69% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 98% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 1.2 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 1.2 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is V, which corresponds with moderate shaking and very light damage. Roughly 1,330 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by a large group of people (around 550 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of New Zealand .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
670	I	Not noticable	None
392,600	II	Very weak	None
545,200	III	Weak	Probably none
248,300	IV	Light	Likely none
1,330	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in New Zealand . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Linton Military Camp in Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand. Linton Military Camp is located 27 kilometer (17 mi) south-east of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Linton Military Camp is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
27 km (17 mi) NW from epicenter	Linton Military Camp Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand.	IV Light
30 km (19 mi) NNW from epicenter	Palmerston North Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand.	IV Light
43 km (27 mi) SSW from epicenter	Masterton Wellington, New Zealand.	IV Light
44 km (27 mi) W from epicenter	Levin Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand.	IV Light
74 km (46 mi) WSW from epicenter	Paraparaumu Wellington, New Zealand.	III Weak
87 km (54 mi) SW from epicenter	Upper Hutt Wellington, New Zealand.	III Weak
96 km (60 mi) NW from epicenter	Whanganui Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand.	III Weak
99 km (62 mi) SW from epicenter	Porirua Wellington, New Zealand.	III Weak
101 km (63 mi) SW from epicenter	Lower Hutt Wellington, New Zealand.	III Weak
103 km (64 mi) SW from epicenter	Wainuiomata Wellington, New Zealand.	III Weak
115 km (71 mi) SW from epicenter	Wellington Wellington, New Zealand.	II Weak
117 km (73 mi) SW from epicenter	Karori Wellington, New Zealand.	III Weak
139 km (86 mi) NE from epicenter	Hastings Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.	III Weak
148 km (92 mi) NE from epicenter	Taradale Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.	III Weak
155 km (96 mi) NE from epicenter	Napier Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.	II Weak
185 km (115 mi) SW from epicenter	Blenheim Marlborough, New Zealand.	II Weak
214 km (133 mi) N from epicenter	Taupo Waikato, New Zealand.
223 km (139 mi) NW from epicenter	New Plymouth Taranaki, New Zealand.	II Weak
224 km (139 mi) WSW from epicenter	Nelson Nelson, New Zealand.
229 km (142 mi) WSW from epicenter	Stoke Nelson, New Zealand.
275 km (171 mi) N from epicenter	Rotorua Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.
287 km (178 mi) NE from epicenter	Gisborne Gisborne, New Zealand.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is V.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 48 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 48 people have reported shaking in 17 places, all within New Zealand.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Palmerston North, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand: 18 people.
Feilding, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand: 5 people.
Kapiti, Wellington, New Zealand: 5 people.
Masterton, Wellington, New Zealand: 4 people.
Wanganui, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand: 3 people.
Levin, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand: 2 people.
Cheviot, Canterbury, New Zealand: 1 person.
Porirua, Wellington, New Zealand: 1 person.
Otaki, Wellington, New Zealand: 1 person.
Featherston, Wellington, New Zealand: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since April 25th, 2023, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 74 km (46 mi) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck on November 13th, 2016.

In total, 48 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 3 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 45 km (28 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 30/01/25 04:28 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.