Moderate magnitude 4.6 earthquake at 136 km depth21 Mar 04:29 UTC: First to report: GEONET (NZ) after 2 minutes.21 Mar 04:30: Magnitude recalculated from 4.3 to 4.6. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 145.90 to 136.40 km (from 91 to 85 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 4.4 km (2.7 mi) towards ESE.I didn't feel itI felt this quakeEarthquake detailsDate & timeMar 21, 2026 04:27:29 UTC - Local time at epicenterSaturday, Mar 21, 2026, at 04:27 am (Universal Time GMT +0)Statuspreliminary (automatic detection)Magnitude4.6Depth136 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude45.0572°S / 167.2824°ESouthland District, Southland, New ZealandSeismic antipode45.0572°N / 12.718°WShaking intensityII Very weak shakingFelt1 reportPrimary data sourceGEONET (NZ) (Earthquake Commission and Geological Survey, New Zealand)Nearest volcanoHautere (169 km / 105 mi)Estimated seismic energy released5 x 1011 joules (139 megawatt hours, equivalent to 120 tons of TNT) | equivalent to ONE quake of magnitude 4.6 | about seismic energy3 minutes ago reported feltMar 21, 2026 04:27 GMT / Mar 21, 2026 04:27 am (Universal Time)Lat / Lng: -45.05717 / 167.28239: New ZealandSource: GEONET (NZ)Detail info | Read user reports | You felt it? - Report it!';storedMarkers.push(['quake-22828603',-45.05717,167.28239,'3 minutes ago: Mag. 4.6, New Zealand',html,'quakes-6-24.png',25,25,12,12,125]); function mkRep(id,notFelt){var nFelt=notFelt||false;var src="https://www.volcanoesandearthquakes.com/app/earthquake-report.php?quakeId="+id;if(nFelt==true){src+="¬Felt=true";}window.open(src,"","status=0,toolbar=0,location=0,directories=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,scrollbars=1,height=400,width=350");} function locationHashChanged(e){-1!=e.oldURL.indexOf("#popupMap")&&closePopup()} window.onhashchange = locationHashChanged; function comment(e){var t=e.parentNode,a=(t.dataset.id,document.getElementById("commentForm"));"none"==a.style.display?(t.appendChild(a),a.style.display="block"):a.style.display="none"}function sendComment(e){var t=e.parentNode,a=t.parentNode.dataset.id,n=document.getElementById("commentContent"),p=n.value.trim();if(p){var o="id="+a+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId;o+="&comment="+decodeURIComponent(p),mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",o,function(e){e.responseText;alert("Thank you for submitting your comment!"),t.style.display="none",n.value=""})}}function flagReport(e){var t=e.parentNode.dataset.id;if(confirm("Report this as inappropriate?")){var a="id="+t+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId+"&flagAsInappropriate=1";mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",a,function(t){var a=t.responseText;alert(a),e.style.display="none"})}}function likeReport(e){var t="id="+e.parentNode.dataset.id+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId+"&like=1";mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",t,function(t){t.responseText;e.style.opacity=.5})}]]>[smaller] [bigger]Most recent quakes Top 20 past 24 hrs Quakes in New ZealandNearby placesThe closest larger town where the quake might have been felt is Te Anau, a town with 2,900 inhabitants in New Zealand, in 53 km (33 mi) distance southeast of the epicenter. People likely experienced very weak shaking there. In the capital of New Zealand, Wellington, 738 km (459 mi) away from the epicenter, the earthquake could not be felt.The following table shows some of the places that might have been affected (or not) by the shaking.DistancePlaceMax. shaking intensity(*)RegionCountry53 km (33 mi)SE of epicenterTe Anau(pop: 2,910)II: Very weakSouthland District, SouthlandNew Zealand62 km (39 mi)SE of epicenterManapouri(pop: 228)II: Very weakSouthland District, SouthlandNew Zealand66 km (41 mi)NE of epicenterMilford Sound(pop: 435)II: Very weakSouthland District, SouthlandNew Zealand90 km (56 mi)E of epicenterGlenorchy(pop: 318)II: Very weakQueenstown-Lakes District, OtagoNew Zealand102 km (63 mi)SE of epicenterMossburn(pop: 210)II: Very weakSouthland District, SouthlandNew Zealand109 km (67 mi)E of epicenterQueenstown(pop: 10,400)II: Very weakOtagoNew Zealand109 km (68 mi)SE of epicenterOhai(pop: 408)II: Very weakSouthland District, SouthlandNew Zealand116 km (72 mi)E of epicenterKingston(pop: 306)II: Very weakQueenstown-Lakes District, OtagoNew Zealand118 km (73 mi)SE of epicenterLumsden(pop: 463)II: Very weakSouthland District, SouthlandNew Zealand121 km (75 mi)E of epicenterArrowtown(pop: 2,150)II: Very weakQueenstown-Lakes District, OtagoNew Zealand124 km (77 mi)S of epicenterTuatapere(pop: 558)II: Very weakSouthland District, SouthlandNew Zealand134 km (83 mi)SE of epicenterOtautau(pop: 672)II: Very weakSouthland District, SouthlandNew Zealand137 km (85 mi)E of epicenterCardrona(pop: 800)II: Very weakQueenstown-Lakes District, OtagoNew Zealand146 km (91 mi)SE of epicenterWinton(pop: 2,190)II: Very weakSouthland District, SouthlandNew Zealand151 km (94 mi)E of epicenterCromwell(pop: 5,160)II: Very weakCentral Otago District, OtagoNew Zealand152 km (95 mi)E of epicenterWanaka(pop: 13,100)II: Very weakQueenstown-Lakes District, OtagoNew Zealand155 km (96 mi)S of epicenterRiverton(pop: 1,680)II: Very weakSouthland District, SouthlandNew Zealand160 km (99 mi)E of epicenterLuggate(pop: 474)II: Very weakQueenstown-Lakes District, OtagoNew Zealand164 km (102 mi)E of epicenterLake Hawea(pop: 2,190)II: Very weakQueenstown-Lakes District, OtagoNew Zealand165 km (103 mi)E of epicenterAlexandra(pop: 5,830)II: Very weakCentral Otago District, OtagoNew Zealand168 km (104 mi)E of epicenterRoxburgh(pop: 600)II: Very weakCentral Otago District, OtagoNew Zealand171 km (106 mi)SE of epicenterInvercargill(pop: 57,600)II: Very weakSouthlandNew Zealand174 km (108 mi)SE of epicenterGore(pop: 13,100)II: Very weakSouthlandNew Zealand174 km (108 mi)SE of epicenterMataura(pop: 1,680)II: Very weakGore District, SouthlandNew Zealand182 km (113 mi)SE of epicenterEdendale(pop: 588)II: Very weakSouthland District, SouthlandNew Zealand190 km (118 mi)SE of epicenterBluff(pop: 1,940)II: Very weakInvercargill, SouthlandNew Zealand232 km (144 mi)SE of epicenterBalclutha(pop: 4,440)II: Very weakClutha District, OtagoNew Zealand238 km (148 mi)SE of epicenterPapatowai(pop: 6,590)II: Very weakClutha District, OtagoNew Zealand240 km (149 mi)E of epicenterTwizel(pop: 1,780)II: Very weakMackenzie District, CanterburyNew Zealand240 km (149 mi)SE of epicenterMilton(pop: 2,010)II: Very weakClutha District, OtagoNew Zealand256 km (159 mi)E of epicenterMosgiel(pop: 14,800)II: Very weakDunedin City, OtagoNew Zealand267 km (166 mi)E of epicenterDunedin(pop: 131,800)II: Very weakOtagoNew Zealand270 km (168 mi)E of epicenterWaikouaiti(pop: 1,330)II: Very weakDunedin City, OtagoNew Zealand273 km (170 mi)E of epicenterPalmerston(pop: 1,050)II: Very weakOtagoNew Zealand274 km (170 mi)NE of epicenterWaikowhai(pop: 5,550)II: Very weakWestland District, West CoastNew Zealand274 km (170 mi)E of epicenterPort Chalmers(pop: 1,460)II: Very weakDunedin City, OtagoNew Zealand290 km (180 mi)E of epicenterOamaru(pop: 13,000)II: Very weakOtagoNew Zealand299 km (186 mi)E of epicenterWaimate(pop: 3,650)II: Very weakCanterburyNew Zealand394 km (245 mi)NE of epicenterHokitika(pop: 3,350)I: Not feltWestland District, West CoastNew Zealand738 km (459 mi)NE of epicenterWellington(pop: 381,900)I: Not feltWellingtonNew ZealandNotes:(*) Shaking intensity according to the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) and estimated using seismic models.User-reports for this quake (1)So far, we have received 1 report for this quake. This section is being updated as new data comes in.User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.Translate169.1 km SSE of epicenter [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) (reported through our app)What is Intensity and the Mercalli Intensity Scale?The amount of shaking that occurs on the surface due to an earthquake is called the intensity. It is commonly measured on the so-called Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) ranging from 1 (not felt) to 10 (extreme shaking), and given in Roman numerals as I,II,...IX, X, and often displayed with color codes ranging from light blue to dark red.Earthquake intensity depends mainly on the magnitude and depth of the quake as well as the distance from the epicenter: The further away, the less shaking intensity occurs.Read more about the MMI scale!Number of reports by intensityShaking intensityNumber of reportsMin-Max distance from epicenter (*)Average distance (*)III: Weak shaking1169–169 km (105–105 mi)169 km (105 mi)Notes(*) Reports are filtered to exclude those that are likely highly inaccurate or esaggerated.Only reports with latitude/longitude coordinate positions given (1 in total) could be used for geographic statistics.Get the Android appI didn't feel itI felt this quakeIf you were near the epicenter and felt it, please share your experience and submit a short "I felt it" report! Other users would love to hear about it!If you did NOT feel the quake although you were in the area, please report it as well! Your contribution is valuable to earthquake science and seismic hazard analysis.Compare Quake DataData for the same earthquake as reported by different agenciesThe more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.MagDepthTime GMT2026-03-21EpicenterAgency4.6136 km85 mi04:27:29New ZealandGEONET (NZ) (Earthquake Commission and Geological Survey, New Zealand)Aftershocks for this quakeNo aftershocks have been recorded so far. When aftershocks are detected, we will update this section.What are aftershocks?Larger earthquakes (above magnitude 5 or so) such as this one are usually followed by smaller ones known as aftershocks that occur in the same area during the days, weeks, months or even years after the main shock.[More info]What about this quake?Based on its magnitude, the fault that was active during the quake likely ruptured beneath a surface area of approximately 4 km2 (2 square miles) as a first-order estimate. The length of the rupture zone thus was probably around 3 km (2 mi).[More info]Recorded aftershocks, latest first (0 quake)Mar 21, 2026 04:27 am (Universal Time)3 minutes ago4.6136 km0 km - This quakeNew ZealandMain Shock (this quake)MoreMap of aftershocksEarthquake statisticsAverage number of earthquakesBased on data from the past 26 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900, there are about 498 quakes on average per year in the area near the epicenter of this quake (within 100 km/61 mi):Mag. 7 or higher: 0.03 quakes per year (or 1 quake every 31.3 years)Mag. 6 or higher: 0.13 quakes per year (or 1 quake every 7.9 years)Mag. 5 or higher: 2.8 quakes per yearMag. 4 or higher: 17.1 quakes per yearMag. 3 or higher: 118 quakes per year (or 9.8 quakes per month)Mag. 2 or higher: 440 quakes per year (or 36.7 quakes per month)Mag. 1 or higher: 497 quakes per year (or 41 quakes per month)The area where this quake occurred has a very high level of seismic activity. It has had at least 4 quakes above magnitude 7 since 1900, which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently, probably on average approximately every 30 to 35 years.Number of quakes per yearPrevious quakes in the same area of this earthquake