| Magnitude | 5.1 |
| Alert | Strong |
| Depth | 21.5 km |
| Coordinates | -39.978, 176.833 |
| UTC time | 1988-05-20 03:35:20.530 |
Earthquake details
Friday, May 20, 1988 Earthquake
The earthquake hit New Zealand on Friday, May 20, 1988 at 03:35 UTC with a magnitude of 5.1. The closest known location in the current dataset is Hastings (New Zealand - NZ), about 37.9 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude 176.833 and latitude -39.978.
| Location | Hastings |
| Country | New Zealand (NZ) |
| Severity | Strong |
Earthquake map 1988-05-20
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Hastings | 37.9 km |
| Napier City | 54.5 km |
| Palmerston North | 112.1 km |
| Masterton | 147.8 km |
| Whanganui | 152.2 km |
| Gisborne | 178.7 km |
| Paraparaumu | 186.0 km |
| Upper Hutt | 198.5 km |
| Rotorua | 211.0 km |
| Porirua | 211.3 km |
| Lower Hutt | 212.7 km |
| Wellington | 226.8 km |
Nearby earthquakes
The latest 8 earthquakes within 100 km of this epicenter.
|
M 4.2
Hastings
New Zealand · 2025-10-26 12:08 UTC
|
39.4 km |
|
M 4.6
Hastings
New Zealand · 2025-08-13 05:53 UTC
|
12.8 km |
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