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M6.1 Earthquake near Off east coast of North Island, New Zealand [Sea: New Zealand]

UTC time: 2026-05-05 08:00:46 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.

Magnitude
M6.1
Depth
8.6 km
Source
INGV

Off east coast of North Island, New Zealand [Sea: New Zealand]

Map

M6.1 Earthquake near Off east coast of North Island, New Zealand [Sea: New Zealand] · 2026-05-05 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M6.1 Earthquake near Off east coast of North Island, New Zealand [Sea: New Zealand] · 2026-05-05 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On May 5, 2026 at 08:00 UTC, a magnitude M6.1 earthquake occurred near Off east coast of North Island, New Zealand [Sea: New Zealand]. With a focal depth of about 9 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude can cause significant damage in populated areas.

The event was recorded by INGV.

Details

ID
60ec6aee81143cfb55407c09cb1e375b60c71840
Magnitude
M6.1
Depth
8.6 km
UTC time
2026-05-05 08:00:46 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
ingv
Coordinates
-36.65390, 177.13500
Temperature
18.6°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 8.6 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 8.6 km
Shallow
8.6 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

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Tauranga143.3 kmSW161'000
Auckland212.4 kmW1'547'200

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Clark
    Distance: 67 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -860 m ·New Zealand
  • Tangaroa
    Distance: 88 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -600 m ·New Zealand
  • Whakaari/White Island
    Distance: 96 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 294 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·New Zealand
  • Rumble IV
    Distance: 101 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -500 m ·New Zealand
  • Tuhua/Mayor Island
    Distance: 105 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 355 m ·Last eruption: -5055 ·New Zealand
  • Rumble V
    Distance: 111 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: -400 m ·New Zealand

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 250 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours23
First 24 hours30
First 72 hours33
Strongest subsequent eventM5.8
M5.12026-05-05 08:00:48 UTC27.8 kmEvent of magnitude 5.1, near Manukau (Monde) M5.82026-05-05 08:00:48 UTC6.3 kmOFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z. M3.52026-05-05 08:12:43 UTC2.0 kmOFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z. M3.22026-05-05 08:28:26 UTC43.6 kmOFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z. M3.22026-05-05 08:30:53 UTC132.3 kmOFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z. M4.92026-05-05 08:43:45 UTC12.0 kmOFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z. M4.92026-05-05 08:43:45 UTC17.7 kmOff east coast of North Island M5.32026-05-05 08:43:47 UTC16.1 kmOff East Coast of North Island, New Zealand M4.32026-05-05 08:49:37 UTC4.9 kmOFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z. M3.12026-05-05 08:57:11 UTC9.8 kmOFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z. M3.12026-05-05 09:02:47 UTC10.5 kmOFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z. M3.12026-05-05 09:06:24 UTC5.9 kmOFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.

No unambiguous area assignment

Context for this earthquake

This event has no unambiguous country assignment in the analysed catalogue. It is therefore not assigned to a regional profile.

Earthquake overview

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 250 km.

Magnitude rank#1
Earlier events M≥476
Earlier events M≥512
Compared since2025-01-01

The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.

Strongest earlier events

M5.82026-05-05 08:00:44 UTC15.2 kmOff east coast of North Island M5.42026-05-02 21:19:10 UTC139.4 kmOff East Coast of North Island, New Zealand M5.42026-05-05 08:00:44 UTC31.7 kmOff east coast of North Island M5.42026-05-05 08:00:42 UTC25.2 kmOff East Coast of North Island, New Zealand M5.32026-04-04 08:12:52 UTC190.6 kmOff East Coast of North Island, New Zealand

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
484
Country (24h)
—
—
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