| Magnitude | 5.1 |
| Alert | Strong |
| Depth | 165.1 km |
| Coordinates | -38.594, 175.732 |
| UTC time | 1988-05-18 23:07:20.870 |
Earthquake details
Wednesday, May 18, 1988 Earthquake
The earthquake hit New Zealand on Wednesday, May 18, 1988 at 23:07 UTC with a magnitude of 5.1. The closest known location in the current dataset is Rotorua (New Zealand - NZ), about 67.6 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude 175.732 and latitude -38.594.
| Location | Hamilton |
| Country | New Zealand (NZ) |
| Severity | Strong |
Earthquake map 1988-05-18
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Rotorua | 67.6 km |
| Hamilton | 98.4 km |
| Tauranga | 108.0 km |
| Napier City | 142.9 km |
| Hastings | 151.1 km |
| New Plymouth | 152.3 km |
| Whanganui | 160.3 km |
| Manukau | 193.4 km |
| Palmerston North | 196.5 km |
| Papatoetoe | 197.3 km |
| Gisborne | 197.7 km |
| Auckland | 212.2 km |
Nearby earthquakes
The latest 8 earthquakes within 100 km of this epicenter.
|
M 4.2
Tauranga
New Zealand · 2026-01-08 10:20 UTC
|
107.5 km |
|
M 4.4
Tauranga
New Zealand · 2025-10-21 16:42 UTC
|
105.5 km |
|
M 4.1
Hamilton
New Zealand · 2025-10-02 18:15 UTC
|
5.8 km |
|
M 4.3
Tauranga
New Zealand · 2025-09-22 15:51 UTC
|
111.0 km |
|
M 4.0
Hamilton
New Zealand · 2025-09-19 11:37 UTC
|
11.8 km |
|
M 4.4
Rotorua
New Zealand · 2025-06-12 07:37 UTC
|
56.1 km |
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