On Wednesday Evening a Shallow M5.3 Earthquake struck 235km from Dunedin in New Zealand.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on September 2nd, 2026. Last updated September 3rd, 2026.

A shallow and significant M5.3 earthquake struck under land 235 kilometer from Dunedin in New Zealand in the evening of Wednesday September 2nd, 2026. Roughly 270 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in New Zealand, 235 kilometer (146 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 18:13 (Auckland Time) - Sep 2, 2026 06:13 Universal Time.
Location:	235 km NW of Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Coordinates 44°26'35"S 168°18'10"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.3 Detected by 30 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.106 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI 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 (21 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 270 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 270 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.

Moderate shaking and very light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 10 people. At V, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by a large group of people (around 120 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
0	I	Not noticable	None
115,800	II	Very weak	None
123,900	III	Weak	Probably none
27,470	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 . Invercargill in Southland, New Zealand is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 218 kilometer (135 mi) north of Invercargill.

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)
218 km (135 mi) S from epicenter	Invercargill Southland, New Zealand.
234 km (145 mi) E from epicenter	Timaru Canterbury, New Zealand.
235 km (146 mi) SE from epicenter	Dunedin Otago, New Zealand.	II Weak
280 km (174 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 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 24 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 24 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: 7 people.
Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand: 4 people.
Cromwell, Otago, New Zealand: 2 people.
Oamaru, Canterbury, New Zealand: 2 people.
Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand: 2 people.
Wanaka, Otago, New Zealand: 1 person.
Te Anau, Southland, New Zealand: 1 person.
Alexandra, Otago, New Zealand: 1 person.
Gore, Southland, New Zealand: 1 person.
Palmerston, Otago, New Zealand: 1 person.

10 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 10 smaller aftershocks. Just 44 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-5.2 was detected 5 km (2.8 mi) west 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 5.3	Sep 2, 2026 18:13 (Auckland Time)	-
Aftershock	M 5.2	44 mins later Sep 2, 2026 18:57 (Auckland Time)	5 km (2.8 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	56 mins later Sep 2, 2026 19:09 (Auckland Time)	0.9 km (0.6 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.2	1 hr later Sep 2, 2026 19:29 (Auckland Time)	1 km (0.6 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.7	2 hrs later Sep 2, 2026 20:05 (Auckland Time)	7 km (4 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	5 hrs later Sep 2, 2026 22:55 (Auckland Time)	5 km (3 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	5 hrs later Sep 2, 2026 23:28 (Auckland Time)	4 km (2.7 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	6 hrs later Sep 2, 2026 23:47 (Auckland Time)	5 km (3 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	7 hrs later Sep 3, 2026 01:28 (Auckland Time)	1.6 km (1 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	9 hrs later Sep 3, 2026 02:53 (Auckland Time)	6 km (4 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	10 hrs later Sep 3, 2026 03:48 (Auckland Time)	3 km (2.1 mi) SW from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

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 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 5.3 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 (21 km from the sea).	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3. 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 03/09/26 05:08 (). 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.