Moderate magnitude 4.0 earthquake at 7 km depth24 Mar 00:38 UTC: First to report: GEONET (NZ) after 1 minute.24 Mar 00:39: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 8.70 to 6.60 km (from 5.4 to 4.1 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 14 km (9 mi) towards NNW.24 Mar 00:42: Now using data updates from EMSCI didn't feel itI felt this quakeEarthquake detailsDate & timeMar 24, 2026 00:36:33 UTC - Local time at epicenterTuesday, Mar 24, 2026, at 01:36 pm (Pacific/Auckland GMT +13)Statusconfirmed (manually revised)Magnitude4.0Depth6.6 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude41.6033°S / 174.284°ENew ZealandSeismic antipode41.6033°N / 5.716°WSpainQuality79 seismic stationsShaking intensityIV Light shaking near epicenterFelt0 reportsPrimary data sourceEMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre)Weather at epicenter at time of quakeOvercast Clouds 16.1°C (61 F), humidity: 85%, wind: 11 m/s (22 kts) from NEstimated seismic energy released6.3 x 1010 joules (17.5 megawatt hours, equivalent to 15.1 tons of TNT) | equivalent to ONE quake of magnitude 4.0 | about seismic energy30 minutes agoMar 24, 2026 00:36 GMT / Mar 24, 2026 01:36 pm (Auckland time)Lat / Lng: -41.6033 / 174.284: Cook Strait, New ZealandSource: EMSCOther sources: GEONET (NZ): 4.0 / 6.6 kmDetail info | You felt it? - Report it!';storedMarkers.push(['quake-22837759',-41.60330,174.28400,'30 minutes ago: Mag. 4.0, Cook Strait, 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 Wellington, the capital of New Zealand with 380,000 inhabitants, in 54 km (34 mi) distance northeast of the epicenter. People likely experienced weak shaking there. Several smaller towns and villages are located closer to the epicenter and might have experienced stronger shaking.The following table shows some of the places that might have been affected (or not) by the shaking.DistancePlaceMax. shaking intensity(*)RegionCountry18 km (11 mi)SW of epicenterSeddon(pop: 552)III: WeakMarlborough District, MarlboroughNew Zealand29 km (18 mi)W of epicenterBlenheim(pop: 30,300)III: WeakMarlborough District, MarlboroughNew Zealand39 km (24 mi)W of epicenterRenwick(pop: 2,550)III: WeakMarlborough District, MarlboroughNew Zealand42 km (26 mi)NW of epicenterPicton(pop: 4,930)III: WeakMarlborough District, MarlboroughNew Zealand52 km (32 mi)NE of epicenterKarori(pop: 15,400)III: WeakWellington, WellingtonNew Zealand53 km (33 mi)NE of epicenterNewtown(pop: 10,100)III: WeakWellington, WellingtonNew Zealand54 km (34 mi)NE of epicenterWellington(pop: 381,900)III: WeakWellingtonNew Zealand56 km (35 mi)NW of epicenterHavelock(pop: 588)III: WeakMarlborough District, MarlboroughNew Zealand61 km (38 mi)NE of epicenterJohnsonville(pop: 12,100)II: Very weakWellington, WellingtonNew Zealand63 km (39 mi)W of epicenterWairau Valley(pop: 2,230)II: Very weakMarlborough District, MarlboroughNew Zealand67 km (42 mi)NE of epicenterWainuiomata(pop: 20,300)II: Very weakLower Hutt, WellingtonNew Zealand68 km (42 mi)NE of epicenterLower Hutt(pop: 113,400)II: Very weakWellingtonNew Zealand70 km (44 mi)NE of epicenterPorirua(pop: 61,800)II: Very weakWellingtonNew Zealand82 km (51 mi)NE of epicenterPukerua Bay(pop: 2,070)II: Very weakPorirua, WellingtonNew Zealand82 km (51 mi)NE of epicenterUpper Hutt(pop: 47,500)II: Very weakWellingtonNew Zealand91 km (57 mi)NW of epicenterNelson(pop: 54,400)II: Very weakNelsonNew Zealand93 km (58 mi)W of epicenterStoke(pop: 19,900)II: Very weakNelson, NelsonNew Zealand97 km (60 mi)W of epicenterRichmond(pop: 19,700)II: Very weakTasman, TasmanNew Zealand98 km (61 mi)NE of epicenterParaparaumu(pop: 29,900)II: Very weakKapiti Coast District, WellingtonNew Zealand103 km (64 mi)NE of epicenterFeatherston(pop: 2,760)II: Very weakSouth Wairarapa District, WellingtonNew Zealand103 km (64 mi)NE of epicenterWaikanae(pop: 13,300)II: Very weakKapiti Coast District, WellingtonNew Zealand105 km (65 mi)E of epicenterWaipawa(pop: 1,900)II: Very weakSouth Wairarapa District, WellingtonNew Zealand105 km (65 mi)NE of epicenterMartinborough(pop: 2,050)II: Very weakSouth Wairarapa District, WellingtonNew Zealand105 km (65 mi)W of epicenterWakefield(pop: 2,680)II: Very weakTasman, TasmanNew Zealand106 km (66 mi)W of epicenterMapua(pop: 1,820)II: Very weakTasman, TasmanNew Zealand118 km (73 mi)NW of epicenterMotueka(pop: 7,490)II: Very weakTasman, TasmanNew Zealand119 km (74 mi)NE of epicenterOtaki(pop: 6,090)II: Very weakKapiti Coast District, WellingtonNew Zealand123 km (76 mi)NE of epicenterCarterton(pop: 10,300)II: Very weakWellingtonNew Zealand135 km (84 mi)NE of epicenterMasterton(pop: 28,700)II: Very weakWellingtonNew Zealand136 km (85 mi)NE of epicenterLevin(pop: 19,800)II: Very weakHorowhenua District, Manawatu-WanganuiNew Zealand144 km (89 mi)NE of epicenterKopuaranga(pop: 1,130)II: Very weakMasterton, WellingtonNew Zealand150 km (93 mi)NW of epicenterTakaka(pop: 1,430)II: Very weakTasman, TasmanNew Zealand151 km (94 mi)NE of epicenterShannon(pop: 1,610)II: Very weakHorowhenua District, Manawatu-WanganuiNew Zealand151 km (94 mi)NE of epicenterFoxton(pop: 4,780)II: Very weakHorowhenua District, Manawatu-WanganuiNew Zealand158 km (98 mi)SW of epicenterHanmer Springs(pop: 1,180)II: Very weakHurunui District, CanterburyNew Zealand178 km (111 mi)NE of epicenterPalmerston North(pop: 91,300)II: Very weakManawatu-WanganuiNew Zealand183 km (114 mi)NE of epicenterPahiatua(pop: 2,860)I: Not feltManawatu-WanganuiNew Zealand184 km (114 mi)NE of epicenterBulls(pop: 2,150)I: Not feltRangitikei District, Manawatu-WanganuiNew Zealand191 km (119 mi)NE of epicenterAshhurst(pop: 3,400)I: Not feltPalmerston North, Manawatu-WanganuiNew Zealand218 km (135 mi)NE of epicenterDannevirke(pop: 5,680)I: Not feltManawatu-WanganuiNew ZealandNotes:(*) Shaking intensity according to the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) and estimated using seismic models.User-reports for this quakeThere are no user reports for this quake yet.If you felt it, be the first to report it!Get the Android appCompare 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 GMT2026-03-24EpicenterAgency4.0± 0.186.6 km4.1 mi00:36:33.544±0.4sCOOK STRAIT, NEW ZEALANDEMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre)4.06.6 km4.1 mi00:36:33New Zealand0 km (0 mi) epicenter difference with EMSCGEONET (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 1 km2 (0 square miles) as a first-order estimate. The length of the rupture zone thus was probably around 2 km (1 mi).[More info]Recorded aftershocks, latest first (0 quake)Mar 24, 2026 01:36 pm (Auckland)30 minutes ago4.06.6 km0 km - This quakeTasman Sea, 54 km SW of Wellington, Wellington, New 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 2,000 quakes on average per year in the area near the epicenter of this quake (within 100 km/61 mi):Mag. 6 or higher: 0.11 quakes per year (or 1 quake every 9.1 years)Mag. 5 or higher: 2.8 quakes per yearMag. 4 or higher: 14.6 quakes per yearMag. 3 or higher: 101 quakes per year (or 8.4 quakes per month)Mag. 2 or higher: 885 quakes per year (or 74 quakes per month)Mag. 1 or higher: 2,000 quakes per year (or 5.4 quakes per day)The area where this quake occurred has a very high level of seismic activity. It has had at least 6 quakes above magnitude 6 since 1970, which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently, probably on average approximately every 5 to 10 years.Number of quakes per yearPrevious quakes in the same area of this earthquakeThe earthquake occurred 5 weeks after a magnitude 4.6 earthquake had hit on Monday, Feb 16, 2026, at 08:04 pm (GMT +12 local time) in 100 km (62 mi) distance to the north:Mag. 4.6 earthquake Tasman Sea - Wellington, New Zealand - Feb 16, 2026 - The strongest-ever (since 1900) recorded quake in this area measured magnitude 7.7. It had occurred 9 years ago earlier, on Sunday, Nov 13, 2016, at 11:02 pm local time (Pacific/Auckland GMT +12) in Canterbury, New Zealand:Mag. 7.7 earthquake 8 km southeast of Hanmer Springs - Canterbury, New Zealand - Nov 13, 2016 - Below is a list and map of larger or recent quakes that had occurred near the epicenter before this earthquake (within up to 100 km/61 mi distance, up to 300 km/183 mi for very large quakes above mag. 7). Filter and sort the list by magnitude or time.Max results102050100AllMagnitudeAll2+3+4+5+6+7+8+Time before48 hours1 week30 days1 year5 years30 yearsAny ageDate and TimeMagDepthDistanceLocationDetailsMapFeb 16, 08:04 pm (GMT +12)4.679 km100 km (62 mi) to the NTasman Sea, 64 km north of Wellington, Wellington, New ZealandInfoFeb 9, 03:27 am (Auckland)4.152 km99 km (62 mi) to the NTasman Sea, 85 km northwest of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand 1 reportInfoFeb 4, 12:35 pm (Auckland)4.310 km15 km (9.6 mi) to the STasman Sea, 66 km southwest of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand 2 reportsInfoNov 6, 2025 09:09 pm (Auckland)4.922 km50 km (31 mi) to the NTasman Sea, 27 km northwest of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand 64 reportsInfoAug 30, 2025 11:31 pm (Auckland)4.851 km72 km (45 mi) to the NWMarlborough, 85 km west of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand 45 reportsInfoOct 6, 2024 04:08 am (Auckland)5.730 km39 km (24 mi) to the NTasman Sea, 30 km west of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand 128 reportsInfoSep 22, 2022 09:07 pm (Auckland)5.851 km89 km (55 mi) to the NTasman Sea, 72 km northwest of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand 396 reportsInfoJan 5, 2017 11:17 am (Universal Time)5.410 km25 km (16 mi) to the SESouth Pacific Ocean, 113 km southeast of Haulashore Island, New Zealand 11 reportsInfoNov 15, 2016 06:30 am (Universal Time)5.420 km63 km (39 mi) to the SW 45 km southwest of Blenheim, Marlborough, New Zealand 2 reportsInfoNov 14, 2016 07:21 am (Universal Time)5.410 km12 km (7.7 mi) to the SEnear Magnitude 5.4, Near of Lower Hutt 3 reportsInfoNov 14, 2016 06:47 am (Universal Time)5.410 km67 km (42 mi) to the SWCanterbury, 63 km south of Blenheim, Marlborough, New Zealand 5 reportsInfoNov 14, 2016 07:28 am (Auckland)5.710 km90 km (56 mi) to the SSouth Pacific Ocean, 95 km south of Blenheim, Marlborough, New ZealandInfoNov 13, 2016 11:52 am (Universal Time)5.810 km79 km (49 mi) to the WMarlborough, 53 km south of Nelson, Nelson, New Zealand 2 reportsInfoNov 13, 2016 11:41 am (Universal Time)5.710 km20 km (12 mi) to the W 12 km southeast of Blenheim, Marlborough, New ZealandInfoNov 13, 2016 11:33 pm (Auckland)5.810.1 km50 km (31 mi) to the S 66 km SSE of Blenheim, New ZealandInfoNov 14, 2016 12:32 am (Auckland)6.410 km91 km (56 mi) to the SW South Island of New Zealand 1 reportInfoNov 13, 2016 11:24 am (Universal Time)5.610 km47 km (29 mi) to the SSouth Pacific Ocean, 106 km southeast of Haulashore Island, New ZealandInfoNov 13, 2016 11:19 am (Universal Time)5.510 km98 km (61 mi) to the SWCanterbury, 89 km southwest of Blenheim, Marlborough, New Zealand 1 reportInfoNov 13, 2016 11:02 pm (Auckland)7.710 km157 km (98 mi) to the SW 8 km southeast of Hanmer Springs, Canterbury, New Zealand 71 reportsInfoAug 16, 2013 05:31 pm (Auckland)5.914 km7.5 km (4.7 mi) to the S 15 km east of Seddon, Marlborough, New Zealand 2 reportsInfoAug 16, 2013 03:09 pm (Auckland)5.98.5 km25 km (15 mi) to the SW 26 km SSE of Blenheim, New Zealand 1 reportInfoAug 16, 2013 02:45 am (Universal Time)5.610 km24 km (15 mi) to the SWMarlborough, 77 km southwest of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand 1 reportInfoAug 16, 2013 02:37 am (Universal Time)5.49.4 km25 km (16 mi) to the SW 33 km southeast of Blenheim, Marlborough, New Zealand 1 reportInfoAug 16, 2013 02:31 pm (Auckland)6.58.2 km18 km (11 mi) to the SW 29 km SE of Blenheim, New Zealand 36 reportsInfoJul 21, 2013 05:09 pm (Auckland)6.517 km12 km (7.5 mi) to the S 38 km ESE of Blenheim, New Zealand 19 reportsInfoJul 21, 2013 05:09 pm (Auckland)6.517 km3.6 km (2.2 mi) to the E 20 km east of SeddonInfoJul 21, 2013 07:17 am (Auckland)5.914 km9.3 km (5.8 mi) to the SETasman Sea, 38 km east of Blenheim, Marlborough, New Zealand 7 reportsInfoJul 19, 2013 09:06 am (Auckland)5.518 km12 km (7.4 mi) to the NETasman Sea, 42 km southwest of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand 2 reportsInfoSep 4, 2010 04:35 am (Auckland)7.012 km293 km (182 mi) to the SW 65 km west of Christchurch, Canterbury, New ZealandInfoMar 23, 1995 07:43 am (Auckland)5.887 km66 km (41 mi) to the NTasman Sea, 69 km northwest of Wellington, Wellington, New ZealandInfoMay 28, 1992 10:30 am (Auckland)6.085 km46 km (29 mi) to the W 22 km southwest of Blenheim, Marlborough, New ZealandInfoOct 6, 1990 02:41 pm (Auckland)5.539 km88 km (55 mi) to the E 58 km southeast of Wellington, Wellington, New ZealandInfoOct 5, 1990 11:48 am (Auckland)5.637 km58 km (36 mi) to the ETasman Sea, 26 km southeast of Wellington, Wellington, New ZealandInfoJan 18, 1977 05:41 pm (Auckland)6.050 km14 km (9 mi) to the STasman Sea, 66 km southwest of Wellington, Wellington, New ZealandInfoMar 26, 1973 10:04 am (Auckland)5.774 km31 km (19 mi) to the NETasman Sea, 26 km west of Wellington, Wellington, New ZealandInfoMay 24, 1968 05:24 am (Auckland)7.020 km188 km (117 mi) to the WWest Coast, 30 km northwest of Murchison, Tasman, New ZealandInfoApr 23, 1966 06:49 pm (GMT +12)5.720 km20 km (12 mi) to the ETasman Sea, 43 km southwest of Wellington, Wellington, New ZealandInfoJan 10, 1964 09:47 am (GMT +12)5.444 km82 km (51 mi) to the SSouth Pacific Ocean, 96 km south of Blenheim, Marlborough, New ZealandInfoJun 24, 1942 11:16 am (Universal Time)7.015 km139 km (86 mi) to the E North Island of New ZealandInfoMar 5, 1934 11:46 am (Universal Time)7.215 km179 km (111 mi) to the NETasman Sea, 40 km southeast of Palmerston North, Manawatu-Wanganui, New ZealandInfoFeb 13, 1931 01:27 am (Universal Time)7.345 km289 km (179 mi) to the NE North Island of New ZealandInfoFeb 2, 1931 10:46 pm (Universal Time)7.435 km269 km (167 mi) to the NE North Island of New ZealandInfoJun 16, 1929 10:47 pm (Universal Time)7.320 km100 km (62 mi) to the SW South Island of New ZealandInfoMar 9, 1929 10:50 am (Universal Time)7.020 km216 km (134 mi) to the SW 63 km north of Christchurch, Canterbury, New ZealandInfoAug 9, 1904 10:51 am (GMT +12)7.50 km259 km (161 mi) to the NESouth Pacific Ocean, 97 km south of Hastings, Hawke's Bay, New ZealandInfoMap of earlier quakes in the area of this quakeMax results102050100AllMagnitudeAll2+3+4+5+6+7+8+Time before48 hours1 week30 days1 year5 years30 yearsAny ageOldest quakes are shown in yellow, most recent in red.[quakes -][quakes +][smaller][bigger]