On Saturday Night a Shallow M5.7 Earthquake struck 100km from New Plymouth in New Zealand.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 24th, 2026. Last updated July 25th, 2026.

In the night of Saturday July 25th, 2026, a shallow and significant MAG-5.7 earthquake hit under land 100 kilometer from New Plymouth in New Zealand. Around 1.5 million people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in New Zealand, 100 kilometer (62 mi) east of New Plymouth in Taranaki. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jul 25, 2026 04:51 (Auckland Time) - Jul 24, 2026 16:51 Universal Time.
Location:	100 km east of New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand. Coordinates 38°57'44"S 175°13'60"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 68 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.038 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong 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 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 1.5 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 1.5 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 10 people were exposed to level VII. At this level, very strong shaking and likely moderate damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 1.2 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably 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
11,730	II	Very weak	None
1,157,000	III	Weak	Probably none
294,000	IV	Light	Likely none
1,850	V	Moderate	Very light
3,810	VI	Strong	Light
10	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 . Located 80 kilometer (50 mi) southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Taupo (Waikato, New Zealand) is the nearest significant population center. Taupo experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Auckland is located 239 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Manukau City is located 221 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Wellington is located 261 km to the south (intensity unknown, possibly low).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
80 km (50 mi) NE from epicenter	Taupo Waikato, New Zealand.	III Weak
100 km (62 mi) W from epicenter	New Plymouth Taranaki, New Zealand.	IV Light
109 km (68 mi) S from epicenter	Whanganui Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand.	IV Light
122 km (76 mi) N from epicenter	Cambridge Waikato, New Zealand.	IV Light
127 km (79 mi) NE from epicenter	Rotorua Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.	III Weak
131 km (81 mi) N from epicenter	Hamilton Waikato, New Zealand.	IV Light
153 km (95 mi) SE from epicenter	Taradale Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.	III Weak
156 km (97 mi) E from epicenter	Napier Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.	III Weak
158 km (98 mi) SE from epicenter	Hastings Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.	III Weak
158 km (98 mi) S from epicenter	Palmerston North Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand.	III Weak
163 km (101 mi) S from epicenter	Linton Military Camp Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand.	III Weak
164 km (102 mi) NE from epicenter	Tauranga Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.	III Weak
186 km (116 mi) S from epicenter	Levin Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand.	III Weak
189 km (117 mi) NE from epicenter	Whakatane Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.	III Weak
197 km (122 mi) N from epicenter	Pukekohe East Auckland, New Zealand.	III Weak
212 km (132 mi) N from epicenter	Papakura Auckland, New Zealand.
218 km (135 mi) N from epicenter	Manurewa Auckland, New Zealand.
218 km (135 mi) S from epicenter	Paraparaumu Wellington, New Zealand.
221 km (137 mi) N from epicenter	Manukau City Auckland, New Zealand.
224 km (139 mi) N from epicenter	Papatoetoe Auckland, New Zealand.
225 km (140 mi) N from epicenter	Mangere Auckland, New Zealand.
225 km (140 mi) S from epicenter	Masterton Wellington, New Zealand.
226 km (140 mi) N from epicenter	Otara Auckland, New Zealand.
228 km (142 mi) N from epicenter	Otahuhu Auckland, New Zealand.
233 km (145 mi) N from epicenter	New Lynn Auckland, New Zealand.
235 km (146 mi) N from epicenter	Remuera Auckland, New Zealand.
236 km (147 mi) N from epicenter	Avondale Auckland, New Zealand.
239 km (149 mi) N from epicenter	Auckland Auckland, New Zealand.
242 km (150 mi) S from epicenter	Upper Hutt Wellington, New Zealand.
243 km (151 mi) E from epicenter	Gisborne Gisborne, New Zealand.
244 km (152 mi) N from epicenter	North Shore Auckland, New Zealand.
244 km (152 mi) S from epicenter	Porirua Wellington, New Zealand.
252 km (157 mi) S from epicenter	Lower Hutt Wellington, New Zealand.
257 km (160 mi) S from epicenter	Wainuiomata Wellington, New Zealand.
261 km (162 mi) S from epicenter	Wellington Wellington, New Zealand.
262 km (163 mi) S from epicenter	Karori Wellington, New Zealand.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is VII.

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 70 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 70 people have reported shaking in 29 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:

Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand: 17 people.
New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand: 8 people.
Cambridge, Waikato, New Zealand: 4 people.
Morrinsville, Waikato, New Zealand: 4 people.
Te Awamutu, Waikato, New Zealand: 4 people.
Palmerston North, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand: 3 people.
Ohakune, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand: 3 people.
Raglan, Waikato, New Zealand: 3 people.
Hawera, Taranaki, New Zealand: 3 people.
Stratford, Taranaki, New Zealand: 2 people.

5 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 5 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 6 km (4 mi) southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 30 mins later. It measured a magnitude of 3.7

This main shock was prefaced by 2 smaller foreshocks. Roughly 1 day before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.1 was detected nearby 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
Foreshock	M 3.1	1 day earlier Jul 23, 2026 21:27 (Auckland Time)	48 km (30 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.1	1 day earlier Jul 24, 2026 01:08 (Auckland Time)	34 km (21 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.7	Jul 25, 2026 04:51 (Auckland Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.0	12 mins later Jul 25, 2026 05:03 (Auckland Time)	4 km (2.6 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.4	13 mins later Jul 25, 2026 05:04 (Auckland Time)	6 km (4 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.7	30 mins later Jul 25, 2026 05:21 (Auckland Time)	6 km (4 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.2	4 hrs later Jul 25, 2026 08:34 (Auckland Time)	6 km (3 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.2	6 hrs later Jul 25, 2026 11:14 (Auckland Time)	82 km (51 mi) SE from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

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).

This is the strongest earthquake in 7 years

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since November 23rd, 2019, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 250 km (156 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck on October 30th, 2018.

In total, 3 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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 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	Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 25/07/26 00:18 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.