Canterbury, New Zealand · within 250 km
Earthquakes near Christchurch
In the last 30 days, 1 earthquake of magnitude 2.5 or greater was recorded within 250 km of Christchurch; it was a magnitude 4.3 earthquake 20 km SW of Blenheim, Marlborough, New Zealand on 26 Oct 2026.
Data: USGS · updated · sources and licences
- 24 hours
- 0
- all magnitudes
- 7 days
- 0
- M2.5+
- 30 days
- 1
- M2.5+
Seismic record
Within 250 km of Christchurch, the USGS catalogue lists 28 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or more since 1900 and 87 of magnitude 5 or more since 2000, about 3 a year. In the 12 months to 13 Oct 2026 it recorded 8 of magnitude 2.5 or more, 6 of them magnitude 4 or more.
The largest since 1900: M7.8 on 13 Nov 2016, 72 km NNE of Woodend, Canterbury, New Zealand. The most recent of magnitude 5 or more: M5.5 on 19 Sept 2023, 54 km WNW of Ashburton, Canterbury, New Zealand.
Counts from the USGS ComCat catalogue (public domain), last compiled 13 Oct 2026. Outside the United States, ComCat is complete from about magnitude 4.5, so smaller local earthquakes may be missing from these counts but appear in the lists below. How these pages are built
Last 24 hours
No earthquakes recorded within 250 km of Christchurch in the last 24 hours.
Earlier this week, magnitude 2.5 and above
None of magnitude 2.5 or greater earlier this week.
Largest in the last 30 days
| Mag | Location | Time (UTC) |
|---|---|---|
| 4.3mb | 20 km SW of Blenheim, Marlborough, New Zealand |
Where they occurred
Largest since 1900
Magnitude 6 and above within 250 km of Christchurch.
Loading the historical catalogue…
Questions
How many earthquakes happen within 250 km of Christchurch?
In the last 30 days, 1 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or greater were recorded within 250 km of Christchurch, 0 of them in the last 7 days. In the last 24 hours, 0 earthquakes of any magnitude were recorded. Most small earthquakes are not felt.
What was the largest recent earthquake within 250 km of Christchurch?
The largest in the last 30 days was a magnitude 4.3 earthquake 20 km SW of Blenheim, Marlborough, New Zealand on 26 Oct 2026, at a depth of 40 km.
Where can I get official earthquake information for New Zealand?
For official information, warnings and safety advice, follow GeoNet (https://www.geonet.org.nz/) and your local civil protection authority. This site compiles agency reports and is not a warning service.
Can earthquakes be predicted?
No. Scientists can estimate how likely strong shaking is in a region over years or decades, but no method predicts the time, place and size of a specific earthquake. Aftershocks are expected after large earthquakes and become less frequent over time.