| Magnitude | 5.0 |
| Alert | Strong |
| Depth | 49.7 km |
| Coordinates | -40.147, 176.550 |
| UTC time | 1989-09-21 17:50:44.350 |
Earthquake details
Thursday, September 21, 1989 Earthquake
The earthquake hit New Zealand on Thursday, September 21, 1989 at 17:50 UTC with a magnitude of 5.0. The closest known location in the current dataset is Hastings (New Zealand - NZ), about 62.1 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude 176.550 and latitude -40.147.
| Location | Palmerston North |
| Country | New Zealand (NZ) |
| Severity | Strong |
Earthquake map 1989-09-21
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Hastings | 62.1 km |
| Napier City | 79.2 km |
| Palmerston North | 83.1 km |
| Masterton | 117.8 km |
| Whanganui | 130.0 km |
| Paraparaumu | 155.5 km |
| Upper Hutt | 168.0 km |
| Porirua | 180.8 km |
| Lower Hutt | 182.2 km |
| Wellington | 196.2 km |
| Gisborne | 208.1 km |
| Rotorua | 225.1 km |
Nearby earthquakes
The latest 8 earthquakes within 100 km of this epicenter.
|
M 4.2
Wellington
New Zealand · 2026-04-13 15:26 UTC
|
177.5 km |
|
M 4.5
Paraparaumu
New Zealand · 2026-02-16 08:04 UTC
|
180.3 km |
|
M 4.6
Wellington
New Zealand · 2026-01-27 00:53 UTC
|
146.8 km |
|
M 4.3
Palmerston North
New Zealand · 2026-01-13 10:21 UTC
|
65.4 km |
|
M 4.0
Palmerston North
New Zealand · 2025-12-26 03:06 UTC
|
64.7 km |
|
M 4.5
Masterton
New Zealand · 2025-12-25 18:16 UTC
|
70.1 km |
|
M 4.0
Palmerston North
New Zealand · 2025-12-15 12:05 UTC
|
62.9 km |
|
M 4.2
Palmerston North
New Zealand · 2025-12-03 23:17 UTC
|
50.2 km |
Stay informed
Earthquake alerts
Create targeted notifications for important seismic activity near the places you follow.