Reviewed by USGS19d ago
M5.0 earthquake in Kermadec Islands region
Monday, September 7, 2026, 02:06:48 UTC · 30.966°S, 178.544°E
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck in Kermadec Islands region on Monday, September 7, 2026, 02:06:48 UTC, at a depth of 585.1 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.0 on May 31, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 585 km
- Deep
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
477 tons of TNT
That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
185 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Kermadec and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: deep
585 km
Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km since this event; the largest was M4.9 on September 7, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 474 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.4Kermadec Islands regionMay 16, 2006 · 224 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1south of the Kermadec IslandsMay 25, 1997 · 174 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.0Kermadec Islands, New ZealandMay 14, 1989 · 295 km E of this epicenter
- 7.0Kermadec Islands regionJanuary 26, 1983 · 213 km E of this epicenter
- 6.9Kermadec Islands, New ZealandJuly 9, 1998 · 241 km E of this epicenter
- 6.9Kermadec Islands regionMay 3, 1997 · 217 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.9Kermadec Islands regionSeptember 10, 2018 · 216 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.8Kermadec Islands regionNovember 5, 1996 · 140 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 2 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1968M7.3
S Of, Raoul
25 Jul 1968 · 292 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2013M6.5
S Of, Raoul
30 Sep 2013 · 299 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.