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M4.1 Earthquake near Whakatane, New Zealand — 27 September 2026

A light earthquake of magnitude 4.1 was recorded near Whakatane, New Zealand on , with an epicentre 28 km north-northeast of Whakatane, at a focal depth of 153.5 km. It ranked as the 13th strongest of 14 earthquakes recorded in New Zealand in the preceding 30 days.

4.1 Light

Time (UTC): 2026-09-27 20:49:20

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 4.1 (light)

Focal depth: 153.5 km (intermediate)

Epicentre: -37.7103, 177.0580

Location: 28 km NNE of Whakatane, New Zealand

Country: New Zealand

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Reviewed

Source: USGS event page

How strong was this earthquake?

Light earthquakes are widely felt near the epicentre and can rattle windows, dishes and hanging objects. Damage is uncommon and usually limited to cracked plaster or fallen loose items.

A magnitude 4.1 earthquake radiates roughly 21 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 259, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.

What the magnitude scale actually measures →

When it happened locally

That is about 08:37 local solar time at the epicentre, during the morning.

This event was deeper than 85% of the 203 earthquakes recorded in New Zealand in our catalogue and stronger than 11% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at -37.7103, 177.0580 — 28 km north-northeast of Whakatane. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.2 earthquake 12 km west-southwest of here on 05 August 2025.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Whakatane (12 km west-southwest), Maketu (62 km west-southwest), Ohinemutu (81 km southwest) and Pauanui (90 km north).

Why the 154 km depth matters

At 154 km this was an intermediate-depth earthquake. Energy from events at this depth spreads out before it reaches the surface, which usually means weaker shaking near the epicentre than a shallow quake of the same magnitude, but shaking felt across a wider area.

This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size is often felt across the surrounding area. Its intermediate depth normally reduces peak shaking near the epicentre compared with a shallow event of the same magnitude.

Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →

What does the tsunami information flag mean?

The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M4.1 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; its 154 km focal depth is too great to deform the sea floor significantly; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.

How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →

Aftershocks and local seismic history

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.

47 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.8 event near Pauanui on 05 May 2026. This M4.1 event released about 355 times less energy than that event.

7 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 1 of them in the past 30 days.

How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →

Where this event sits in the record

This earthquake is part of the September 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in New Zealand during September 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in New Zealand

All recorded earthquakes in New Zealand →

Other magnitude 4 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 4 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Whakatane?

It measured magnitude 4.1 — a light earthquake. A magnitude 4.1 earthquake radiates roughly 21 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Whakatane?

The focus was 154 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.

Was the Whakatane earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 4.1 and a focal depth of 154 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.

When did the earthquake near Whakatane happen?

27 September 2026 at 20:49 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.

How often do earthquakes happen near Whakatane?

47 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.8 event near Pauanui on 05 May 2026. This M4.1 event released about 355 times less energy than that event.