Back to map
New Zealand · Bay of Plenty

M3.8 Earthquake near Whakatāne District, Bay of Plenty (New Zealand)

UTC time: 2026-09-17 08:00:08 UTC Local time: —
Magnitude
M3.8
Depth
163.6 km
Source
EMSC

Bay of Plenty · Whakatāne District

Country overview

Map

About this earthquake

On September 17, 2026 at 08:00 UTC, a magnitude M3.8 earthquake occurred near Whakatāne District, Bay of Plenty (New Zealand). At around 164 km, the focal depth places this among intermediate-depth events. Shaking of this size is frequently noticed but usually harmless.

The data is provided by EMSC and cross-checked across seismological networks. New Zealand: 2 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M3.3.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 163.6 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 163.6 km
Intermediate
163.6 km
163.6 km — deeper than the regional average (69.4 km)
Regional average: 69.4 km
Why depth matters

Intermediate-depth quakes are felt across a wider area but usually cause less surface damage.

Depth classes per USGS

Volcanoes nearby

  • Okataina
    Distance: 24 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 1'111 m ·Last eruption: 1981 ·New Zealand
  • Whakaari/White Island
    Distance: 69 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 294 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·New Zealand
  • Tuhua/Mayor Island
    Distance: 92 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 355 m ·Last eruption: -5055 ·New Zealand
  • Taupo
    Distance: 111 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 760 m ·Last eruption: 260 ·New Zealand
  • Tongariro
    Distance: 158 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'978 m ·Last eruption: 2012 ·New Zealand
  • Ruapehu
    Distance: 172 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'797 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·New Zealand

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Whakatāne AirportNew Zealand · WHK · NZWK
    20.9 kmStraight-line distance
  • Rotorua Regional AirportNew Zealand · ROT · NZRO
    36.1 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-20

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

Bay of Plenty

Context for this earthquake

20 Sep 2025 – 20 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 114 Catalogue entries

Of 113 other entries for this area and period, 16 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · New Zealand

Open history map
Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · New Zealand

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

Share