Shallow M5.8 Earthquake hit in the South Pacific Ocean 143km from Tauranga (New Zealand) on Tuesday Evening.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 5th, 2026. Last updated May 6th, 2026.

In the evening of Tuesday May 5th, 2026, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit in the South Pacific Ocean 143 kilometer from Tauranga, New Zealand. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 0.9 million people.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 117 kilometers (72 mi) off the coast of New Zealand, 143 kilometer north-east of Tauranga in Bay of Plenty. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 5, 2026 20:00 (Auckland Time) - May 5, 2026 08:00 Universal Time.
Location:	143 km NE of Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Coordinates 36°44'43"S 177°15'42"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 56 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.041 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually 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 0.9 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 0.9 million 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.

Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 61,010 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 0.8 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of New Zealand .

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 137 kilometer (85 mi) north of Whakatane. Whakatane experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Auckland is located 223 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low). Manukau City is located 214 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low). North Shore is located 224 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low).

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

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

Shaking reported by 41 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 41 people have reported shaking in 16 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:

• Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand: 18 people.
• Coromandel, Waikato, New Zealand: 3 people.
• Te Puke, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand: 3 people.
• Whitianga, Waikato, New Zealand: 2 people.
• Whangamata, Waikato, New Zealand: 2 people.
• Waiheke, Auckland, New Zealand: 2 people.
• Waihi, Waikato, New Zealand: 2 people.
• Leigh, Auckland, New Zealand: 1 person.
• Tairua, Waikato, New Zealand: 1 person.
• Paeroa, Waikato, New Zealand: 1 person.

34 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 34 smaller aftershocks. A 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 43 mins later 13 km (8 mi) north-east of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 6 smaller foreshocks. Roughly 1 hr before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.2 was detected nearby this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

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

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since November 27th, 2024, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 234 km (145 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on March 4th, 2021.

In total, 11 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 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 year.

Low tsunami risk

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 06/05/26 10:58 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000sidq
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260505_0000157
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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