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New Zealand · Waikato

M3.6 Earthquake near Tokoroa, Waikato (New Zealand)

UTC time: 2026-05-18 21:26:18 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

On May 18, 2026 at 21:26 UTC, a magnitude M3.6 earthquake occurred near Tokoroa, Waikato (New Zealand). The earthquake originated at an intermediate depth of about 173 km. Shaking of this size is frequently noticed but usually harmless.

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

Details

ID
9de37e33712f2c6ca2f8c86d90d0c1d1af73552a
Magnitude
M3.6
Depth
173.4 km
UTC time
2026-05-18 21:26:18 UTC
Local time
—
Country
New Zealand
State
Waikato
City
Tokoroa
County
South Waikato District
Source
emsc
Coordinates
-38.24060, 175.85020
Temperature
13.2°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 173.4 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 173.4 km
Intermediate
173.4 km
173.4 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: 58 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 1'111 m ·Last eruption: 1981 ·New Zealand
  • Taupo
    Distance: 60 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 760 m ·Last eruption: 260 ·New Zealand
  • Tongariro
    Distance: 104 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'978 m ·Last eruption: 2012 ·New Zealand
  • Tuhua/Mayor Island
    Distance: 112 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 355 m ·Last eruption: -5055 ·New Zealand
  • Ruapehu
    Distance: 118 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'797 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·New Zealand
  • Whakaari/White Island
    Distance: 142 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 294 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·New Zealand

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Rotorua Regional AirportNew Zealand · ROT · NZRO
    43.3 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

Waikato

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 65 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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