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New Zealand · Bay of Plenty

M4.4 Earthquake near Western Bay of Plenty District, Bay of Plenty (New Zealand)

UTC time: 2026-01-08 10:20:16 UTC Local time: —
Magnitude
M4.4
Depth
214.2 km
Source
USGS

Bay of Plenty · Western Bay of Plenty District

Country overview

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M4.4 earthquake was recorded near Western Bay of Plenty District, Bay of Plenty (New Zealand) on January 8, 2026 at 10:20 UTC. The earthquake originated at an intermediate depth of about 214 km. Tremors of this size are distinctly felt and can occasionally cause light damage.

The event was recorded by USGS. New Zealand: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 5 earthquakes, the strongest at M4.0.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 214.2 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 214.2 km
Intermediate
214.2 km
214.2 km — deeper than the regional average (70.9 km)
Regional average: 70.9 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: 34 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 1'111 m ·Last eruption: 1981 ·New Zealand
  • Tuhua/Mayor Island
    Distance: 67 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 355 m ·Last eruption: -5055 ·New Zealand
  • Whakaari/White Island
    Distance: 84 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 294 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·New Zealand
  • Taupo
    Distance: 108 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 760 m ·Last eruption: 260 ·New Zealand
  • Tongariro
    Distance: 155 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'978 m ·Last eruption: 2012 ·New Zealand
  • Ruapehu
    Distance: 170 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'797 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·New Zealand

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Rotorua Regional AirportNew Zealand · ROT · NZRO
    25.9 kmStraight-line distance
  • Tauranga AirportNew Zealand · TRG · NZTG
    26.1 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-10-05

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 ≥ 3.0 · 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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