Earthquake.now

M4.5 Earthquake near Hicks Bay, New Zealand — 30 August 2026

A light earthquake of magnitude 4.5 was recorded near Hicks Bay, New Zealand on , with an epicentre 109 km northwest of Hicks Bay, at a focal depth of 180.1 km. It ranked as the 8th strongest of 9 earthquakes recorded in New Zealand in the preceding 30 days.

4.5 Light

Time (UTC): 2026-08-30 22:08:03

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 4.5 (light)

Focal depth: 180.1 km (intermediate)

Epicentre: -36.8873, 177.4470

Location: 109 km NW of Hicks Bay, 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 4.5 earthquake radiates roughly 85 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 312, 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 09:57 local solar time at the epicentre, during the morning.

This event was deeper than 89% of the 195 earthquakes recorded in New Zealand in our catalogue and stronger than 35% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at -36.8873, 177.4470 — 109 km northwest of Hicks Bay. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.4 earthquake 17 km southeast of here on 17 March 2025.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Pauanui (43 km west), Whakatane (106 km south-southwest), Maketu (144 km southwest) and Ohinemutu (174 km south-southwest).

Why the 180 km depth matters

At 180 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 M4.5 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; its 180 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 in the 5 days since this event.

40 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 M4.5 event released about 89 times less energy than that event.

11 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 2 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 August 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in New Zealand during August 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 Hicks Bay?

It measured magnitude 4.5 — a light earthquake. A magnitude 4.5 earthquake radiates roughly 85 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Hicks Bay?

The focus was 180 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.

Was the Hicks Bay earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 4.5 and a focal depth of 180 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.

When did the earthquake near Hicks Bay happen?

30 August 2026 at 22:08 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 in the 5 days since this event.

How often do earthquakes happen near Hicks Bay?

40 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 M4.5 event released about 89 times less energy than that event.