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New Zealand · Bay of Plenty

M1.8 Earthquake near Rotorua Lakes District, Bay of Plenty (New Zealand)

UTC time: 2026-10-31 22:20:47 UTC Local time: —
Magnitude
M1.8
Depth
67.5 km
Source
GEONET

Bay of Plenty · Rotorua Lakes District

Country overview

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M1.8 earthquake was recorded near Rotorua Lakes District, Bay of Plenty (New Zealand) on October 31, 2026 at 22:20 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 68 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: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 63 earthquakes, the strongest at M3.2.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 67.5 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 67.5 km
Shallow
67.5 km
67.5 km — close to 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

  • Okataina
    Distance: 44 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 1'111 m ·Last eruption: 1981 ·New Zealand
  • Taupo
    Distance: 47 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 760 m ·Last eruption: 260 ·New Zealand
  • Tongariro
    Distance: 92 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'978 m ·Last eruption: 2012 ·New Zealand
  • Ruapehu
    Distance: 106 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'797 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·New Zealand
  • Whakaari/White Island
    Distance: 135 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 294 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·New Zealand
  • Tuhua/Mayor Island
    Distance: 138 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 355 m ·Last eruption: -5055 ·New Zealand

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Taupo AirportNew Zealand · TUO · NZAP
    31.5 kmStraight-line distance
  • Rotorua Regional AirportNew Zealand · ROT · NZRO
    45.8 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

Bay of Plenty

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 2.0 · 115 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

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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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