Quake Info: Moderate Mag. 4.7 Earthquake - 27 km Southwest of Whakatane, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, on Saturday, Mar 18, 2023 at 8:58 am (GMT +13)

Moderate magnitude 4.7 earthquake at 3 km depth

17 Mar 20:00 UTC: First to report: GEONET (NZ) after 2 minutes.
17 Mar 20:01: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 7.5 to 3.6 km (from 4.7 to 2.2 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 2.4 km (1.5 mi) towards ENE.
17 Mar 20:06: Magnitude recalculated from 4.8 to 4.7. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 3.6 to 3.1 km (from 2.2 to 1.9 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 1.2 km (0.8 mi) towards WNW.

Update Fri, 17 Mar 2023, 20:18

Moderate magnitude 4.7 earthquake 27 km southwest of Whakatane, New Zealand

4.7 quake 18 Mar 8:58 am (GMT +13)

A very shallow magnitude 4.7 earthquake was reported in the morning near Whakatane, Whakatane District, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.
According to New Zealand's Earthquake Commission and Geological Survey (GeoNet), the quake hit on Saturday, March 18th, 2023, at 8:58 am local time at a very shallow depth of 3.1 km. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
A second report was later issued by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), which listed it as a magnitude 5.1 earthquake. A third agency, the citizen-seismograph network of RaspberryShake, reported the same quake at magnitude 4.9.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should have been widely felt by almost everyone in the area of the epicenter. It might have caused light to moderate damage.
Moderate shaking probably occurred in Kawerau (pop. 6,700) located 5 km from the epicenter.
In Edgecumbe (pop. 1,800) located 14 km from the epicenter, and Awakeri (pop. 2,300) 18 km away, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Whakatane (pop. 18,600) located 27 km from the epicenter, Rotorua (pop. 65,900) 41 km away, Ngongotaha (pop. 5,200) 44 km away, and Tauranga (pop. 110,300) 62 km away.
Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Taupo (pop. 22,500) located 88 km from the epicenter.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you're in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.

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Earthquake details

Date & time	Mar 17, 2023 19:58:07 UTC -
Local time at epicenter	Saturday, Mar 18, 2023 at 8:58 am (GMT +13)
Status	Confirmed
Magnitude	4.7
Depth	3.1 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude	38.05396°S / 176.70241°E (Kawerau District, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand)
Antipode	38.054°N / 3.298°W
Shaking intensity	Moderate shaking
Felt	27 reports
Primary data source	GEONET (NZ) (Earthquake Commission and Geological Survey, New Zealand)
Nearest volcano	Okataina (Tarawera) (19 km / 12 mi)
Nearby towns and cities	5 km (3 mi) N of Kawerau (pop: 6,700) \| Show on map \| Quakes nearby 14 km (9 mi) SW of Edgecumbe (pop: 1,790) \| Show on map \| Quakes nearby 27 km (17 mi) WSW of Whakatane (pop: 18,600) \| Show on map \| Quakes nearby 41 km (26 mi) ENE of Rotorua (pop: 65,900) \| Show on map \| Quakes nearby 62 km (39 mi) SE of Tauranga (pop: 110,300) \| Show on map \| Quakes nearby 88 km (55 mi) NE of Taupo (Waikato) (pop: 22,500) \| Show on map \| Quakes nearby 217 km (135 mi) SE of Auckland (pop: 417,900) \| Show on map \| Quakes nearby 396 km (246 mi) NNE of Wellington (pop: 381,900) \| Show on map \| Quakes nearby
Weather at epicenter at time of quake	Light Rain 18.1°C (65 F), humidity: 99%, wind: 1 m/s (2 kts) from WNW
Estimated seismic energy released	7.1 x 10¹¹ joules (197 megawatt hours, equivalent to 169 tons of TNT) \| about seismic energy

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Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies

Info: The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.

Mag.	Depth	Location	Source
4.7	3.1 km	New Zealand	GEONET (NZ)
4.7	6.5 km	North Island, New Zealand	RaspberryShake
5.1	10 km	North Island, New Zealand	GFZ
5.0	10 km	North Island, New Zealand	GeoAu
4.7	6.5 km	North Island of New Zealand	USGS
4.7	10 km	North Island, New Zealand	IRIS
5.0	2 km	NORTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND	EMSC

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User reports for this quake (27)

User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.

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Rerewhakaaitu, Rotorua (35.6 km SW of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : We were in bed and the house rattled and shook, my daughter said she felt her bed rolling, I felt and heard the previous earthquake exactly the same experience | One user found this interesting.

Matata bay of plenty new zealand / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : Whole house cracked and shaked wobbled for quite some time | 3 users found this interesting. (reported through our app)

Washing my nuts / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Was just washing my nuts then the whole house shook and the shower head broke off | 2 users found this interesting.

Whakatane / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vibration and rolling / 10-15 s : Herd it comming rolling and scary for me. cats came running to hide inside | 2 users found this interesting. (reported through our app)

Rotorua (44.1 km W of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : In bed, could hear doors rattle whilst feeling a hammock motion. | One user found this interesting.

Waiotapu (43.5 km SW of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Our van moved | One user found this interesting.

Kawerau, Bay of Plenty (3 km S of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : Been on going | One user found this interesting.

Tauranga new zealand (66.9 km NW of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : Gentle rocking | One user found this interesting.

Kawerau (4.9 km S of epicenter) [Map] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) : Very strong shaking. | One user found this interesting.

Tauranga / Light shaking (MMI IV) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 5-10 s : Rolling | One user found this interesting.

Te teko / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : It was a pretty strong one this time | One user found this interesting.

Whakatane / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 30-60 s : Moderate shaking, objects falling of shelves, ornaments swinging, | One user found this interesting.

Pukehina Beach (37.9 km NNW of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

near Greerton, Tauranga City, Bay of Plenty (55.1 km WNW of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 10-15 s

Pukehina Beach (37.9 km NNW of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Rotorua new zealand (35.3 km WSW of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Just lying on the bed

Rotorua (41.8 km WSW of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Washing my nuts / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Was just washing my nuts then the whole house shook and the shower head broke off

Tauranga / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling

Kawerau / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s

315 tauranga Direct Road rotorua / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Rotorua / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Rotorua / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Whakatane New Zealand / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Rotorua, mourea / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Rotorua / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Whakatane , new zealand / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

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Moderate mag. 4.7 earthquake - 27 km southwest of Whakatane, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, on Saturday, Mar 18, 2023 at 8:58 am (GMT +13) -

Moderate magnitude 4.7 earthquake at 3 km depth

Moderate magnitude 4.7 earthquake 27 km southwest of Whakatane, New Zealand

Earthquake details

Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies

User reports for this quake (27)

Earlier earthquakes in the same area

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Moderate mag. 4.7 earthquake - 27 km southwest of Whakatane, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, on Saturday, Mar 18, 2023 at 8:58 am (GMT +13) - writeAge(1679083087)

Moderate magnitude 4.7 earthquake at 3 km depth

Moderate magnitude 4.7 earthquake 27 km southwest of Whakatane, New Zealand

Earthquake details

Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies

User reports for this quake (27)

Earlier earthquakes in the same area

Support us - Help us upgrade our services!

Moderate mag. 4.7 earthquake - 27 km southwest of Whakatane, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, on Saturday, Mar 18, 2023 at 8:58 am (GMT +13) -