On Thursday Evening a Significant M5.9 Earthquake struck 161km from Invercargill in New Zealand.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 16th, 2026.

In the evening of Thursday July 16th, 2026, a significant MAG-5.9 earthquake hit under land 161 kilometer from Invercargill in New Zealand. Around 190 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in New Zealand, 161 kilometer (100 mi) north of Invercargill in Southland. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 76 km.

Date and Time:	Jul 16, 2026 21:14 (Auckland Time) - Jul 16, 2026 09:14 Universal Time.
Location:	161 km north of Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand. Coordinates 45°2'36"S 167°36'39"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.9 Detected by 62 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.039 .
Depth:	76 km (47 mi) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (15 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually 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 95% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 190 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 190 thousand people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is V, which corresponds with moderate shaking and very light damage. Roughly 2,580 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 130 thousand) live in an area exposed to level IV, where light shaking and likely no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of New Zealand .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
60,020	III	Weak	Probably none
132,200	IV	Light	Likely none
2,580	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 . Invercargill in Southland, New Zealand is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 161 kilometer (100 mi) north of Invercargill. The intensity of shaking and damage in Invercargill is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
161 km (100 mi) S from epicenter	Invercargill Southland, New Zealand.	IV Light
244 km (152 mi) E from epicenter	Dunedin Otago, New Zealand.
297 km (185 mi) E from epicenter	Timaru Canterbury, New Zealand.
351 km (218 mi) E from epicenter	Ashburton Canterbury, 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 30 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 30 people have reported shaking in 12 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:

Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand: 10 people.
Wanaka, Otago, New Zealand: 5 people.
Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand: 5 people.
Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand: 2 people.
Waitati, Otago, New Zealand: 1 person.
Alexandra, Otago, New Zealand: 1 person.
Bluff, Southland, New Zealand: 1 person.
Te Anau, Southland, New Zealand: 1 person.
Arrowtown, Otago, New Zealand: 1 person.
Riverton, Southland, New Zealand: 1 person.

17 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 17 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 4.1 magnitude earthquake hit 17 mins later 1.5 km (0.9 mi) east of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.9	Jul 16, 2026 21:14 (Auckland Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.6	6 mins later Jul 16, 2026 21:21 (Auckland Time)	3 km (2.1 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.3	11 mins later Jul 16, 2026 21:25 (Auckland Time)	2.1 km (1.3 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.4	14 mins later Jul 16, 2026 21:28 (Auckland Time)	6 km (4 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.8	16 mins later Jul 16, 2026 21:30 (Auckland Time)	10 km (6 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.1	17 mins later Jul 16, 2026 21:31 (Auckland Time)	1.5 km (0.9 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.5	25 mins later Jul 16, 2026 21:39 (Auckland Time)	7 km (4 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.2	32 mins later Jul 16, 2026 21:46 (Auckland Time)	6 km (3 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.9	37 mins later Jul 16, 2026 21:51 (Auckland Time)	6 km (4 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.4	43 mins later Jul 16, 2026 21:57 (Auckland Time)	6 km (4 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	49 mins later Jul 16, 2026 22:04 (Auckland Time)	12 km (8 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	2 hrs later Jul 16, 2026 23:17 (Auckland Time)	7 km (5 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.5	2 hrs later Jul 16, 2026 23:32 (Auckland Time)	9 km (5 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.3	4 hrs later Jul 17, 2026 01:09 (Auckland Time)	3 km (2.1 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.2	4 hrs later Jul 17, 2026 01:25 (Auckland Time)	4 km (2.2 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.6	5 hrs later Jul 17, 2026 02:26 (Auckland Time)	15 km (9 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.3	7 hrs later Jul 17, 2026 04:16 (Auckland Time)	5 km (3 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.8	8 hrs later Jul 17, 2026 04:50 (Auckland Time)	6 km (3 mi) W from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

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

This is an unusually powerful earthquake

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since July 7th, 2025, when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit 288 km (179 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck on March 25th, 2025.

In total, 2 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.9 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 5 years.

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	This earthquake appears to have struck on land near a coastal area (15 km from the sea).	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.9. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 76 km (47 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 16/07/26 20:28 (). 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.