Earthquakes in New Zealand Today – Live Earthquake Map

Earthquakes in New Zealand TodayThis page tracks recent earthquakes in New Zealand using live data from the USGS. For every event you can see the magnitude, depth in kilometres, location and the time it occurred, and the map below plots recent seismic activity across the North Island, South Island and the Kermadec region. The data refreshes automatically every few minutes, so the list and map always show the latest recorded quakes.Earthquake Activity in New ZealandNew Zealand experiences frequent seismic activity because it straddles the boundary between the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates. The plates collide and grind past each other beneath the islands, and the strain that builds up is released as earthquakes.That boundary changes character along the country. Off the east coast of the North Island the Pacific plate dives beneath the Australian plate at the Hikurangi Subduction Zone, producing both shallow crustal quakes and deeper events. Through the South Island the plates slide past each other along the Alpine Fault, while the Fiordland region and the Kermadec Trench to the north add their own subduction-related activity. Volcanic zones such as Taupō also generate swarms of small, shallow quakes.Depth matters because seismic waves lose energy as they travel. A shallow earthquake — often less than 20 km deep — concentrates its shaking near the epicentre and can be felt sharply even at a moderate magnitude. A deep earthquake beneath the subduction zone may reach 100 km or more, feels weaker at the surface, but is often noticed across a much larger area.Magnitude measures the energy released at the source on a logarithmic scale, so each whole step up represents roughly 32 times more energy. Events below about M3 usually pass unnoticed, M4 to M5 quakes are widely felt, and M6 and above can cause damage depending on depth, distance and local ground conditions.The map plots each recorded earthquake in New Zealand at its epicentre. Circle size and colour reflect magnitude, so larger and stronger events stand out immediately. Select any marker to see the full reading — magnitude, depth, coordinates and time — or change the time range to view the past hour, day, week, month or year.Significant earthquakes in New Zealand

Frequently Asked Questions

How many earthquakes occur in New Zealand?

New Zealand records tens of thousands of earthquakes a year, but only a few hundred are large enough to be felt. The live counters on this page show how many quakes have been recorded in the New Zealand region over the time range you select, using earthquake data collected from multiple seismic agencies.

Where do earthquakes occur in New Zealand?

Activity is concentrated along the plate boundary: the Hikurangi Subduction Zone off the east coast of the North Island, the Alpine Fault and surrounding faults through the South Island, the Fiordland region in the south-west, and the Kermadec Trench to the north-east.

Why does earthquake depth matter in New Zealand?

Because New Zealand has both shallow crustal faults and a deep subduction zone, two quakes of the same magnitude can feel very different. Shallow events shake hard close to the epicentre, while deep events are felt more weakly but over a wider area — so the depth shown for each quake is as informative as its magnitude.

Data source: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. Enable JavaScript for the live interactive map.