M5.3 quake in Kermadec Islands region leads 21 notable earthquakes on 18 September 2026
Daily planet briefing
Quakes M2.5+
21
21 of any size
Strongest
M5.3
Kermadec Islands region
Other hazards
33
Fires, storms, floods, eruptions
Peak Kp
—
Geomagnetic activity
Earthquakes
Seismic networks reported 21 earthquakes in total, 21 of them magnitude 2.5 or above. That is busier than the previous week's average of 7 a day.
The strongest was a magnitude 5.3 in Kermadec Islands region, at a depth of 94 km.
Across the day, 3 quakes reached magnitude 5 or more, 21 quakes reached magnitude 4 or more.
- 5.3Kermadec Islands region18 Sept 2026, 23:18 UTC · 94 km deep
- 5.2182 km SSW of Pelabuhanratu, Indonesia18 Sept 2026, 14:36 UTC · 10 km deep
- 5.0Izu Islands, Japan region18 Sept 2026, 07:19 UTC · 39 km deep
- 4.85 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico18 Sept 2026, 13:19 UTC · 7 km deep
- 4.828 km ENE of Villa Presidente Frei, Chile18 Sept 2026, 16:52 UTC · 100 km deep
- 4.738 km SSW of Sipí, Colombia18 Sept 2026, 06:17 UTC · 72 km deep
- 4.7Fiji region18 Sept 2026, 06:42 UTC · 533 km deep
- 4.743 km NNE of Ruteng, Indonesia18 Sept 2026, 12:20 UTC · 10 km deep
Volcanoes, fires, storms and floods
New entries on the hazard record: 33 wildfires.
Sky & Space
5 asteroids passed Earth. The closest, (2026 SR2), came within 3.1 lunar distances and is 9 m across.