M3.8 Earthquake near Waipawa, New Zealand — 22 March 2026
A minor earthquake of magnitude 3.8 was recorded near Waipawa, New Zealand on , with an epicentre 17 km north-northeast of Waipawa, at a focal depth of 54.4 km.
Time (UTC): 2026-03-22 01:31:38
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 3.8 (minor)
Focal depth: 54.4 km (shallow)
Epicentre: -41.2577, 175.5770
Location: 17 km NNE of Waipawa, New Zealand
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Reviewed
Source: USGS event page
How strong was this earthquake?
Minor earthquakes in this range are felt by people close to the epicentre as a brief jolt or rattle, but they very rarely cause any damage.
A magnitude 3.8 earthquake radiates roughly 7.6 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 223, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at -41.2577, 175.5770 — 17 km north-northeast of Waipawa. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 3.2 earthquake 35 km west of here on 10 July 2025.
Why the 54 km depth matters
At 54 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size may be noticed locally, especially close to the epicentre. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
What does the tsunami information flag mean?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M3.8 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →
Aftershocks and local seismic history
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event.
40 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.1 event near Pahiatua on 28 January 2025. This M3.8 event released about 89 times less energy than that event.
How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →
Where this event sits in the record
This earthquake is part of the March 2026 worldwide record. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M3.2 earthquake near Homedale, New Zealand — (35 km W)
- M3.4 earthquake near Maoribank, New Zealand — (39 km WNW)
- M4.3 earthquake near Grenada North, New Zealand — (61 km W)
- M4.4 earthquake near Houghton Bay, New Zealand — (69 km WSW)
- M5.1 earthquake near Pahiatua, New Zealand — (76 km NNE)
- M4.9 earthquake near Castlepoint, New Zealand — (79 km NE)
- M4.5 earthquake near Castlepoint, New Zealand — (80 km NE)
- M4.5 earthquake near Karori, New Zealand — (85 km W)
- M4.2 earthquake near Foxton Beach, New Zealand — (87 km NNW)
- M4.3 earthquake near Owhiro Bay, New Zealand — (88 km WSW)
Other magnitude 3 earthquakes worldwide
- M4.1 earthquake near Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands —
- M4.0 earthquake near Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands —
- M3.8 earthquake near Cloverdale, CA —
- M3.8 earthquake near Geyserville, California —
- M4.1 earthquake near Masohi, Indonesia —
- M4.1 earthquake near Yamada, Japan —
- M3.6 earthquake near Atka, Alaska —
- M3.8 earthquake near Atka, Alaska —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong is a magnitude 3.8 earthquake?
Minor earthquakes in this range are felt by people close to the epicentre as a brief jolt or rattle, but they very rarely cause any damage. A magnitude 3.8 earthquake radiates roughly 7.6 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Waipawa?
At 54 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
Was the M3.8 earthquake near Waipawa felt?
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size may be noticed locally, especially close to the epicentre. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
What does the USGS tsunami field mean for this event?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M3.8 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
Have there been aftershocks?
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event.
How often do earthquakes happen near Waipawa?
40 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.1 event near Pahiatua on 28 January 2025. This M3.8 event released about 89 times less energy than that event.