How frequent are earthquakes in or near Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand?

Rotorua has a high level of seismic activity. Based on data from the past 14 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900, there are about 1,700 quakes on average per year in or near Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Rotorua has had at least 20 quakes above magnitude 5 since 2010, which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently, probably on average approximately every 1 to 5 years.

How many earthquakes occur every year in or near Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand?

On average, Rotorua has about 85 quakes of magnitude 3 or higher per year (Mag 4+: 10.7 quakes per year).

When was the latest earthquake in Rotorua?

The last earthquake in Rotorua occurred 4 hours ago and had a magnitude of 2.4: A light magnitude 2.4 earthquake occurred in the South Pacific Ocean near the coast of New Zealand in the early morning of Thursday, May 16, 2024 at 1.47 am local time (Pacific/Auckland GMT +12). The quake had a moderate depth of 94 km (58 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so).

How many quakes were there in Rotorua in the past 24 hours?

In the past 24 hours, Rotorua has had 0 quakes of magnitude 2.0 or above.

What was the strongest quake in Rotorua in the past 24 hours?

The strongest earthquake in Rotorua in the past 24 hours had a magnitude of 2.9 and occurred 5 hours ago: A light magnitude 2.9 earthquake hit 47 km (29 mi) away from Taupo, Waikato, New Zealand, in the early morning of Thursday, May 16, 2024 at 12.48 am local time (Pacific/Auckland GMT +12). The quake had a shallow depth of 35 km (22 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so).

Latest Earthquakes in or Near Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand: Today and Recently

0 quakes Mag. 2+

Number of quakes vs long-term average, past 24 hours
Earthquake activity below average

Latest today See all	Mag. 2.4 earthquake South Pacific Ocean - Bay of Plenty, New Zealand -
Strongest today	Mag. 2.9 47 km southeast of Taupo - Waikato, New Zealand -

0 quakes above magnitude 2
1 quake below magnitude 2 that people normally don't feel.

Number of quakes per year

	Total number	<M2	M2+	M3+	M4+	M5+	M6+	M7+
Past 24 hours	1 quake	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
Past 7 days	20 quakes	12	6	1	1	-	-	-
Past 30 days	141 quakes	70	62	8	1	-	-	-
Past 3 years	6,492 quakes	2,648	3,487	311	29	4	-	-
Past 10 years	15,822 quakes	6,076	8,781	804	70	12	-	-

in sec

Showing most recent quakes and quakes magnitude 0.5 or higher, within up to 100 km (62 mi) distance (15 quakes):

Latest quakes in or near Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, in the past 24 hours on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 - list, stats and map
Date and Time	Mag Depth	Location	Details
May 16, 01:47 am (Auckland)	2.4 94 km	South Pacific Ocean, 44 km north of Whakatane, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand	Info
May 16, 12:48 am (Auckland)	2.9 35 km	47 km southeast of Taupo, Waikato, New Zealand	Info
May 16, 12:11 am (Auckland)	1.4 3.3 km	42 km southwest of Taupo, Waikato, New Zealand	Info
May 15, 10:50 pm (Auckland)	0.8 3.2 km	41 km southwest of Taupo, Waikato, New Zealand	Info
May 15, 10:33 pm (Auckland)	1.4 34 km	46 km southeast of Taupo, Waikato, New Zealand	Info
May 15, 09:25 pm (Auckland)	2.2 236 km	South Pacific Ocean, 23 km northeast of Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand	Info
May 15, 06:20 pm (Auckland)	1.7 34 km	New Zealand	Info
May 15, 06:11 pm (Auckland)	2.1 119 km	43 km northwest of Taupo, Waikato, New Zealand	Info
May 15, 02:16 pm (Auckland)	1.9 92 km	42 km southwest of Taupo, Waikato, New Zealand	Info
May 15, 01:26 pm (Auckland)	1.9 144 km	New Zealand	Info
May 15, 12:59 pm (Auckland)	2.7 97 km	South Pacific Ocean, 19 km northeast of Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand	Info

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Rotorua Quake-O-Meter

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Earthquake statistics

Average number of earthquakes

Based on data from the past 14 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900, there are about 1,700 quakes on average per year in or near Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand:

Mag. 5 or higher: 1.33 quakes per year
Mag. 4 or higher: 10.7 quakes per year
Mag. 3 or higher: 85 quakes per year (or 7.1 quakes per month)
Mag. 2 or higher: 973 quakes per year (or 81 quakes per month)
Mag. 1 or higher: 1,700 quakes per year (or 4.6 quakes per day)

Rotorua has a high level of seismic activity. Rotorua has had at least 20 quakes above magnitude 5 since 2010, which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently, probably on average approximately every 1 to 5 years.

Detailed stats