Shallow M5.2 Earthquake struck on Wednesday Evening 238km from Dunedin in New Zealand.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on September 2nd, 2026. Last updated September 27th, 2026.

Under land 238 kilometer from Dunedin in New Zealand, a shallow and significant MAG-5.2 earthquake occurred in the evening of Wednesday September 2nd, 2026. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 60 thousand people.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in New Zealand, 238 kilometer (148 mi) northwest of Dunedin in Otago. 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:	Sep 2, 2026 18:57 (Auckland Time) - Sep 2, 2026 06:57 Universal Time.
Location:	238 km NW of Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Coordinates 44°25'47"S 168°15'51"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.2 Detected by 38 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.05 .
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 in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (18 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 60 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 60 thousand 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 10 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 50 thousand) 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
0	II	Very weak	None
48,680	III	Weak	Probably none
15,680	IV	Light	Likely none
10	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 . Located 219 kilometer (136 mi) north of the epicenter of this earthquake, Invercargill (Southland, New Zealand) is the nearest significant population center.

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)
219 km (136 mi) S from epicenter	Invercargill Southland, New Zealand.
237 km (147 mi) E from epicenter	Timaru Canterbury, New Zealand.
238 km (148 mi) SE from epicenter	Dunedin Otago, New Zealand.	III Weak
283 km (176 mi) E from epicenter	Ashburton Canterbury, 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 VI.

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 5 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 5 people have reported shaking in 5 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:

Wanaka, Otago, New Zealand: 1 person.
Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand: 1 person.
Te Anau, Southland, New Zealand: 1 person.
Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand: 1 person.
Clyde, Otago, New Zealand: 1 person.

21 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 21 smaller aftershocks occurred. At a distance of 11 km (7 mi) north-east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 42 mins later. It measured a magnitude of 4.4

Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. Roughly 44 mins before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-5.1 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 5.1	44 mins earlier Sep 2, 2026 18:13 (Auckland Time)	1.5 km (0.9 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.2	Sep 2, 2026 18:57 (Auckland Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.0	12 mins later Sep 2, 2026 19:09 (Auckland Time)	4 km (2.7 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.3	16 mins later Sep 2, 2026 19:12 (Auckland Time)	8 km (5 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.2	32 mins later Sep 2, 2026 19:29 (Auckland Time)	4 km (2.7 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	42 mins later Sep 2, 2026 19:39 (Auckland Time)	11 km (7 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.7	1 hr later Sep 2, 2026 20:05 (Auckland Time)	4 km (2.5 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	4 hrs later Sep 2, 2026 22:55 (Auckland Time)	1.9 km (1.2 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	5 hrs later Sep 2, 2026 23:28 (Auckland Time)	1.4 km (0.9 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	5 hrs later Sep 2, 2026 23:47 (Auckland Time)	2.1 km (1.3 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	7 hrs later Sep 3, 2026 01:28 (Auckland Time)	1.8 km (1.1 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	8 hrs later Sep 3, 2026 02:53 (Auckland Time)	2.9 km (1.8 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	9 hrs later Sep 3, 2026 03:48 (Auckland Time)	5 km (2.9 mi) S from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.6	1 day later Sep 3, 2026 22:02 (Auckland Time)	2 km (1.2 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.3	1 day later Sep 4, 2026 00:13 (Auckland Time)	2.5 km (1.6 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.4	1 day later Sep 4, 2026 06:42 (Auckland Time)	5 km (2.8 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.4	2 days later Sep 4, 2026 08:17 (Auckland Time)	6 km (3 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.3	2 days later Sep 4, 2026 10:18 (Auckland Time)	2.7 km (1.7 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.4	2 days later Sep 4, 2026 11:53 (Auckland Time)	2.1 km (1.3 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.5	2 days later Sep 4, 2026 16:58 (Auckland Time)	2.1 km (1.3 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.4	2 days later Sep 4, 2026 21:03 (Auckland Time)	11 km (7 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.2	2 days later Sep 5, 2026 06:26 (Auckland Time)	2.8 km (1.7 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	3 days later Sep 5, 2026 18:32 (Auckland Time)	7 km (5 mi) NW 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.

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).

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since July 16th, 2026, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 89 km (55 mi) further southwest. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 4 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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	This earthquake appears to have struck on land near a coastal area (18 km from the sea).	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.2. 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 27/09/26 00:58 (). 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.