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New Zealand · Waikato

M1.6 Earthquake near Taupō District, Waikato (New Zealand)

UTC time: 2026-11-03 15:36:12 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

On November 3, 2026 at 15:36 UTC, a magnitude M1.6 earthquake occurred near Taupō District, Waikato (New Zealand). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 8 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this small magnitude are usually barely noticeable and cause no damage.

The data is provided by GeoNet and cross-checked across seismological networks. New Zealand: 59 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M3.2.

Details

ID
5775519a64ac43245f2eadaca5eac5f3480bc934
Magnitude
M1.6
Depth
8.0 km
UTC time
2026-11-03 15:36:12 UTC
Local time
—
Country
New Zealand
State
Waikato
City
Taupō District
County
Taupō District
Source
geonet
Coordinates
-38.63454, 176.00598
Temperature
8.7°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 8 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 8 km
Shallow
8 km
8 km — shallower than the regional average (64.1 km)
Regional average: 64.1 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Volcanoes nearby

  • Taupo
    Distance: 19 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 760 m ·Last eruption: 260 ·New Zealand
  • Tongariro
    Distance: 67 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'978 m ·Last eruption: 2012 ·New Zealand
  • Okataina
    Distance: 69 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 1'111 m ·Last eruption: 1981 ·New Zealand
  • Ruapehu
    Distance: 81 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'797 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·New Zealand
  • Tuhua/Mayor Island
    Distance: 152 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 355 m ·Last eruption: -5055 ·New Zealand
  • Whakaari/White Island
    Distance: 161 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 294 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·New Zealand

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Taupo AirportNew Zealand · TUO · NZAP
    13.5 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-11-13

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

Waikato

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 2.0 · 66 Catalogue entries

Sufficiently reliable matching data are not currently available for a direct comparison. The area profile shows the available records and their limitations.

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.

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