M5.1 earthquake 72 km NNW of Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 72 km NNW of Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand at 18:13 local time (06:13 UTC) on 2 Sept 2026, at a depth of 10 km, according to USGS.
23 reports to USGS “Did You Feel It?”
Data: USGS · updated 2026-09-24 12:08 UTC · reviewed
- Magnitude
- 5.1moderate
moment magnitude (regional) (mwr) - Depth
- 10 km
- Status
- Reviewed
- Origin time
- 2026-09-02 06:13:33 UTC
- Local: 2 Sept 2026, 18:13:33 (Pacific/Auckland)
- Epicentre
- 44.438° S, 168.279° E
Circles show this event and others within 45 km from 7 days before to 30 days after. Lines: plate boundaries and GEM active faults. Open on the live map
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Est. shaking |
|---|---|---|
| QueenstownOtago, New Zealand · pop. 10,442 | 72 km | IIIWeak |
| WanakaOtago, New Zealand · pop. 13,200 | 75 km | IIIWeak |
| ChristchurchCanterbury, New Zealand · pop. 419,200 | 362 km | INot felt |
Shaking is an estimate from the intensity prediction equation of Allen, Wald & Worden (2012), not an observation. Local ground and buildings can change it by a level or more. Likely felt out to about 142 km.
Every agency's solution
Agencies locate earthquakes with their own stations and methods, so their numbers differ. We match reports of the same event by time, distance and magnitude and show them side by side. The headline uses USGS, which has been reviewed by an analyst.
| Agency | Magnitude | Depth | Epicentre | Time offset | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USGSheadlineUSGS NEIC via U.S. Geological Survey | 5.1 mwr | 10 km | 44.44° S, 168.28° E | – | Reviewed |
How big was it?
Felt by most people over a wide area. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre.
It released roughly the energy of 674 t of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step means about 32 times more energy and 10 times larger waves on a seismogram. Depth matters too: at 10 km this was a shallow earthquake, which is felt more strongly at the surface than a deeper one of the same size.
M5.1 releases about 32× the energy of M4.1, and its waves are about 10× taller on a seismogram. Energy: 674 t of TNT vs 21 t of TNT.
Each square is the energy of one M4.1. Energy from log₁₀E = 1.5M + 4.8.
Aftershocks and nearby activity
4 later earthquakes within 45 km; the largest was M5.2 26 days ago. Aftershock rates usually fall off roughly in proportion to 1/time.
Mainshock M5.1
4 later earthquakes nearby. Aftershock rates typically fall off roughly as 1/time (Omori's law).
| Time after mainshock (hours) | Magnitude | Depth (km) |
|---|---|---|
| 0.73 | 5.2 | 10 |
| 0.99 | 4.3 | 10 |
| 1.43 | 4.4 | 10 |
| 198.94 | 4.3 | 10 |
Did you feel it?
Reports from people help show where shaking was strong. They are anonymous and shown here in aggregate.
Reports close 14 days after an earthquake.
Event id us7000tdj8. First recorded here 28 Sept 2026, 17:32:13 UTC. Solutions: USGS (usgs:us7000tdj8). Cite as: SeismoAtlas, “M5.1 earthquake 72 km NNW of Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand”, https://seismoatlas.com/earthquake/us7000tdj8-m5-1-earthquake-72-km-nnw-of-queenstown-otago-new-zealand, data from USGS.
JSON: /api/v1/events/us7000tdj8. SeismoAtlas is not an official warning service.