| 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 5.7
Hamilton
New Zealand · 2026-07-24 16:51 UTC
59.5 km
M 4.6
New Plymouth
New Zealand · 2025-11-10 18:51 UTC
60.0 km
M 4.4
Rotorua
New Zealand · 2025-11-03 23:34 UTC
68.5 km
M 4.1
Hamilton
New Zealand · 2025-10-02 18:15 UTC
5.8 km
M 4.0
Hamilton
New Zealand · 2025-09-19 11:37 UTC
11.8 km
M 4.9
Hamilton
New Zealand · 2025-07-30 05:27 UTC
48.0 km
M 4.3
Rotorua
New Zealand · 2025-07-08 12:42 UTC
18.2 km
M 4.4
Rotorua
New Zealand · 2025-06-12 07:37 UTC
56.1 km
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