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M5.2 Earthquake – Stratford – October 3, 2026 | LiveEarthquake
LiveEarthquake › New Zealand › M5.2 M5.2 earthquake: Stratford According to GeoNet, a magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck near Stratford on October 3, 2026. It was recorded at 02:57 AM GMT+13 at a depth of 14 km.
Magnitude and location may later be revised by GeoNet.
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Magnitude
M5.2
M · Moderate
Time (UTC)
01:57:16 PM
October 2, 2026
Local time
02:57 AM
October 3, 2026 · GMT+13
Nearest towns and cities The epicenter was about 28 km from New Plymouth.
New Plymouth · 28 km E Palmerston North · 170 km NW Hamilton · 172 km SW Rotorua · 198 km SW Hastings · 218 km W Earthquakes recorded nearby afterwards Since this earthquake, 31 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km of the epicenter; the largest was M3.8.
Time (UTC) Magnitude Depth Location Distance Record Oct 18, 11:39 PM UTC M2.2 200 km 45 km north-east of Stratford 33 km GeoNet Oct 17, 04:36 PM UTC M2.1 122 km 15 km south-east of Stratford 34 km GeoNet Oct 17, 01:48 PM UTC M0.6 118 km 25 km east of Stratford 36 km GeoNet
Earthquake history of the area From 1990 until this earthquake, 78 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or greater were recorded within 100 km of the epicenter. The largest was an M6.1 earthquake on October 30, 2018.
M6.1 Waitara, New Zealand · 62 km E October 30, 2018 · 225 kmUSGS M5.8 Otorohanga, New Zealand · 54 km S May 18, 1999 · 283 kmUSGS M5.8 Hawera, New Zealand · 15 km SW September 19, 1995 · 217 kmUSGS M5.7 Turangi, New Zealand · 48 km W July 24, 2026 · 10 kmUSGS M5.7 Eltham, New Zealand · 22 km ENE January 12, 2022 · 193 kmFrequently asked questions Where was the October 3, 2026 earthquake near Stratford? The earthquake occurred near Stratford at 39.150° S, 174.381° E, at a depth of 14 km. The nearest town was New Plymouth, about 28 km away.
How strong was the earthquake near Stratford? GeoNet reported a magnitude of M 5.2 (moderate). How strongly it was felt, and any damage, also depend on depth, distance from the epicenter and local ground conditions.
Were there aftershocks after the earthquake near Stratford? Since this earthquake, 31 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km of the epicenter; the largest was M3.8.
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Data freshness
Data is refreshed about every 2 minutes. LiveEarthquake is not an early warning system; follow official agencies for alerts.
New Plymouth Palmerston North Hamilton Rotorua © Natural Earth
Oct 16, 04:24 PM UTC M1.6 126 km 15 km north-east of Hawera 41 km GeoNet
Oct 15, 11:51 AM UTC M1.9 25 km 40 km west of Ohakune 50 km GeoNet
Oct 15, 10:01 AM UTC M2.7 21 km 40 km south-west of Taumarunui 49 km GeoNet
Oct 15, 08:49 AM UTC M2.5 139 km 30 km east of Stratford 39 km GeoNet
Oct 12, 11:17 AM UTC M2.3 22 km 40 km south-west of Taumarunui 48 km GeoNet
Oct 12, 12:56 AM UTC M2.1 128 km 10 km north-east of Hawera 41 km GeoNet
Oct 10, 02:36 AM UTC M1.9 5.0 km 15 km south-east of Mokau 49 km GeoNet
Oct 9, 08:56 PM UTC M2.7 201 km 5 km north-east of Hawera 45 km GeoNet
Oct 9, 07:05 PM UTC M2.4 20 km 45 km east of Stratford 40 km GeoNet
Oct 8, 01:24 PM UTC M1.8 119 km 15 km north-east of Hawera 40 km GeoNet
Oct 8, 12:51 PM UTC M2.3 129 km 20 km east of Hawera 47 km GeoNet
Oct 7, 12:29 PM UTC M1.7 21 km 45 km east of Stratford 40 km GeoNet
M5.6 Waitara, New Zealand · 63 km E October 21, 2021 · 224 kmUSGS M5.5 Turangi, New Zealand · 38 km WNW May 24, 2001 · 261 kmUSGS M5.4 Eltham, New Zealand · 57 km ENE September 25, 1996 · 226 kmUSGS Source: USGS earthquake catalogue (ComCat).
Earthquake data: USGS (public domain); Turkey: AFAD; Europe: EMSC-CSEM SeismicPortal (CC BY 4.0); Japan: JMA; New Zealand: GeoNet (CC BY 3.0 NZ); Australia: Geoscience Australia (CC BY 4.0); Canada: NRCan (OGL-Canada); USGS backup: GFZ GEOFON (CC BY 4.0). Map: © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Borders: Natural Earth.