Significant M5.1 Earthquake struck on Sunday Morning 180km from Tauranga in New Zealand.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 2nd, 2026. Last updated May 3rd, 2026.

A significant MAG-5.1 earthquake struck under land 180 kilometer from Tauranga in New Zealand in the morning of Sunday May 3rd, 2026. Around 450 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in New Zealand, 180 kilometer (112 mi) east of Tauranga in Bay of Plenty. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 35 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 3, 2026 09:19 (Auckland Time) - May 2, 2026 21:19 Universal Time.
Location:	180 km east of Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Coordinates 37°33'41"S 178°12'8"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.1 Detected by 14 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.083 .
Depth:	35 km (22 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (2 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 95% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 450 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 450 thousand have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 4,350 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. Intensity level II was experienced by the majority of people (around 240 thousand). In their region, very weak shaking and no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of New Zealand .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
240,200	II	Very weak	None
203,400	III	Weak	Probably none
4,350	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in New Zealand . Whakatane in Bay of Plenty, New Zealand is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 116 kilometer (72 mi) north-east of Whakatane. The intensity of shaking and damage in Whakatane is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
116 km (72 mi) SW from epicenter	Whakatane Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.	III Weak
123 km (76 mi) S from epicenter	Gisborne Gisborne, New Zealand.	III Weak
180 km (112 mi) W from epicenter	Tauranga Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.	II Weak
183 km (114 mi) W from epicenter	Rotorua Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.	III Weak
223 km (139 mi) SW from epicenter	Taupo Waikato, New Zealand.	II Weak
242 km (150 mi) SW from epicenter	Napier Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.
245 km (152 mi) W from epicenter	Cambridge Waikato, New Zealand.
249 km (155 mi) SW from epicenter	Taradale Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.
258 km (160 mi) W from epicenter	Hamilton Waikato, New Zealand.
259 km (161 mi) SW from epicenter	Hastings Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.
290 km (180 mi) W from epicenter	Pukekohe East Auckland, New Zealand.
293 km (182 mi) W from epicenter	Papakura Auckland, New Zealand.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 7 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 7 people have reported shaking in 3 places, all within New Zealand.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Gisborne, Gisborne, New Zealand: 4 people.
Whakatane, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand: 2 people.
Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since December 14th, 2024, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 117 km (72 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on March 4th, 2021.

In total, 59 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 2 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	This earthquake appears to have struck on land near a coastal area (2 km from the sea).	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 35 km (22 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 03/05/26 12:38 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.