A magnitude 5 earthquake has hit Christchurch late this afternoon.

Reports say it went for around 10 seconds, and felt bigger than the 4.1 aftershock that rocked the region at around 1.30 this afternoon.

According to GeoNet, the 4.42pm quake was at a depth of 15km and centred 20km west of Christchurch.

It would have been felt widely in the area and may have caused minor damage.

Christchurch police had not yet received any calls reporting damage, a spokesman said.

Canterbury has been hit by hundreds of aftershocks since the 7.1 magnitude quake caused widespread devastation on September 4.

– Newstalk ZB, NZPA and NZ Herald staff