Significant M5.6 Earthquake struck on Sunday Evening 176km from Tauranga in New Zealand.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 2nd, 2026. Last updated August 24th, 2026.

A significant Magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck under land 176 kilometer from Tauranga in New Zealand in the evening of Sunday August 2nd, 2026. Roughly 480 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in New Zealand, 176 kilometer (109 mi) east of Tauranga in Bay of Plenty. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 53 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Aug 2, 2026 20:35 (Auckland Time) - Aug 2, 2026 08:35 Universal Time.
Location:	176 km east of Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Coordinates 37°35'32"S 178°9'44"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 42 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.048 .
Depth:	53 km (33 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 (5 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 480 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 480 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.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 29,940 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 450 thousand) 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 .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
6,380	II	Very weak	None
446,400	III	Weak	Probably none
29,940	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 111 kilometer (69 mi) east of Whakatane. Whakatane experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

Major cities near this earthquake: Manukau City is located 298 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low). Hamilton is located 254 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low). Tauranga is located 176 km to the west and experienced an intensity of III (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)
111 km (69 mi) W from epicenter	Whakatane Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.	III Weak
119 km (74 mi) S from epicenter	Gisborne Gisborne, New Zealand.	III Weak
176 km (109 mi) W from epicenter	Tauranga Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.	III Weak
179 km (111 mi) W from epicenter	Rotorua Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.	III Weak
219 km (136 mi) SW from epicenter	Taupo Waikato, New Zealand.	III Weak
238 km (148 mi) SW from epicenter	Napier Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.
241 km (150 mi) W from epicenter	Cambridge Waikato, New Zealand.
244 km (152 mi) SW from epicenter	Taradale Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.
254 km (158 mi) W from epicenter	Hamilton Waikato, New Zealand.
254 km (158 mi) SW from epicenter	Hastings Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.
287 km (178 mi) W from epicenter	Pukekohe East Auckland, New Zealand.
290 km (180 mi) W from epicenter	Papakura Auckland, New Zealand.
297 km (185 mi) W from epicenter	Manurewa Auckland, New Zealand.
298 km (185 mi) W from epicenter	Manukau City Auckland, New Zealand.
300 km (186 mi) W from epicenter	Otara Auckland, New Zealand.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is IV. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

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 24 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 24 people have reported shaking in 10 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:

Napier, Hawkeʿs Bay, New Zealand: 9 people.
Gisborne, Gisborne, New Zealand: 5 people.
Whakatane, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand: 2 people.
Te Puke, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand: 2 people.
Te Kaha, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand: 1 person.
Matata, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand: 1 person.
Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand: 1 person.
Patutahi, Gisborne, New Zealand: 1 person.
Kawerau, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand: 1 person.
Taupo, Waikato, New Zealand: 1 person.

2 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 2 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 32 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.2 was detected 31 km (19 mi) south-east of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 3 smaller foreshocks occurred. A 3.3 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 3.1	3 days earlier Jul 31, 2026 03:12 (Auckland Time)	48 km (30 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.3	2 days earlier Jul 31, 2026 08:47 (Auckland Time)	96 km (60 mi) W from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.2	2 days earlier Jul 31, 2026 22:21 (Auckland Time)	80 km (50 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.6	Aug 2, 2026 20:35 (Auckland Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.2	5 mins later Aug 2, 2026 20:40 (Auckland Time)	19 km (12 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.2	32 mins later Aug 2, 2026 21:07 (Auckland Time)	31 km (19 mi) SE from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

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 July 24th, 2026, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 297 km (184 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on March 4th, 2021.

In total, 15 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 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 8 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 (5 km from the sea).	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.6. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 53 km (33 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 24/08/26 01:58 (). 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.