M4.0 earthquake 11 km N of Carterton, Wellington Region, New Zealand
A magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck 11 km N of Carterton, Wellington Region, New Zealand at 21:23 local time (09:23 UTC) on 21 Sept 2026, at a depth of 26 km, according to USGS.
4 reports to USGS “Did You Feel It?”
Data: USGS · updated 2026-09-22 15:14 UTC · reviewed
- Magnitude
- 4.0light
body-wave magnitude (mb) - Depth
- 26 km
- Status
- Reviewed
- Origin time
- 2026-09-21 09:23:42 UTC
- Local: 21 Sept 2026, 21:23:42 (Pacific/Auckland)
- Epicentre
- 40.925° S, 175.510° E
Circles show this event and others within 30 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CartertonWellington Region, New Zealand · pop. 10,300 | 11 km | IIIWeak |
| MastertonWellington Region, New Zealand · pop. 28,900 | 13 km | IIIWeak |
| ParaparaumuWellington Region, New Zealand · pop. 29,900 | 41 km | IIWeak |
| Upper HuttWellington Region, New Zealand · pop. 47,400 | 45 km | IIWeak |
| Lower HuttWellington Region, New Zealand · pop. 114,200 | 59 km | IIWeak |
| WellingtonWellington Region, New Zealand · pop. 381,900 | 73 km | IIWeak |
| ChristchurchCanterbury, New Zealand · pop. 419,200 | 374 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 35 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 | 4.0 mb | 26 km | 40.92° S, 175.51° E | – | Reviewed |
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How big was it?
Widely felt near the epicentre: rattling windows and objects. Significant damage is unlikely.
It released roughly the energy of 15 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 26 km this was a shallow earthquake, which is felt more strongly at the surface than a deeper one of the same size.
M4.0 releases about 32× the energy of M3.0, and its waves are about 10× taller on a seismogram. Energy: 15 t of TNT vs 477 kg of TNT.
Each square is the energy of one M3.0. Energy from log₁₀E = 1.5M + 4.8.
Aftershocks and nearby activity
No later earthquakes have been recorded within 30 km so far. Aftershock rates usually fall off roughly in proportion to 1/time.
Did you feel it?
Reports from people help show where shaking was strong. They are anonymous and shown here in aggregate.
Event id us7000tiwh. First recorded here 28 Sept 2026, 17:32:10 UTC. Solutions: USGS (usgs:us7000tiwh). Cite as: SeismoAtlas, “M4.0 earthquake 11 km N of Carterton, Wellington Region, New Zealand”, https://seismoatlas.com/earthquake/us7000tiwh-m4-0-earthquake-11-km-n-of-carterton-wellington-region-new-zealand, data from USGS.
JSON: /api/v1/events/us7000tiwh. SeismoAtlas is not an official warning service.