M5.0 earthquake 17 km SSE of Bell Block, Taranaki Region, New Zealand
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 17 km SSE of Bell Block, Taranaki Region, New Zealand at 02:57 local time (13:57 UTC) on 3 Oct 2026, at a depth of 10 km, according to USGS.
Data: USGS · updated 2026-10-02 14:16 UTC · reviewed
- Magnitude
- 5.0moderate
body-wave magnitude (mb) - Depth
- 10 km
- Status
- Reviewed
- Origin time
- 2026-10-02 13:57:15 UTC
- Local: 3 Oct 2026, 02:57:15 (Pacific/Auckland)
- Epicentre
- 39.160° S, 174.260° E
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Circles show this event and others within 40 km from 7 days before to 30 days after. Lines: plate boundaries and GEM active faults. Open on the live map
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Est. shaking |
|---|---|---|
| Bell BlockTaranaki Region, New Zealand · pop. 8,260 | 17 km | VModerate |
| WaitaraTaranaki Region, New Zealand · pop. 7,730 | 18 km | VModerate |
| New PlymouthTaranaki Region, New Zealand · pop. 90,100 | 18 km | VModerate |
| WhanganuiManawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand · pop. 49,200 | 109 km | IIIWeak |
| WellingtonWellington Region, New Zealand · pop. 381,900 | 241 km | IIWeak |
| Manukau CityAuckland, New Zealand · pop. 362,000 | 247 km | IIWeak |
| AucklandNew Zealand · pop. 1,547,200 | 261 km | IIWeak |
Shaking is an estimate from the intensity prediction equation of Allen, Wald & Worden (2012), not an observation. Local ground and buildings can change it by a level or more. Likely felt out to about 127 km.
Every agency's solution
Agencies locate earthquakes with their own stations and methods, so their numbers differ. We match reports of the same event by time, distance and magnitude and show them side by side. The headline uses USGS, which has been reviewed by an analyst.
| Agency | Magnitude | Depth | Epicentre | Time offset | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USGSheadlineUSGS NEIC via U.S. Geological Survey | 5.0 mb | 10 km | 39.16° S, 174.26° E | – | Reviewed |
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How big was it?
Felt by most people over a wide area. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre.
It released roughly the energy of 477 t of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step means about 32 times more energy and 10 times larger waves on a seismogram. Depth matters too: at 10 km this was a shallow earthquake, which is felt more strongly at the surface than a deeper one of the same size.
M5.0 releases about 32× the energy of M4.0, and its waves are about 10× taller on a seismogram. Energy: 477 t of TNT vs 15 t of TNT.
Each square is the energy of one M4.0. Energy from log₁₀E = 1.5M + 4.8.
Aftershocks and nearby activity
No later earthquakes have been recorded within 40 km so far. Aftershock rates usually fall off roughly in proportion to 1/time.
Did you feel it?
Reports from people help show where shaking was strong. They are anonymous and shown here in aggregate.
Reports on SeismoAtlas
No reports yet.
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Event id us6000tz1c. First recorded here 2 Oct 2026, 14:17:45 UTC. Solutions: USGS (usgs:us6000tz1c). Cite as: SeismoAtlas, “M5.0 earthquake 17 km SSE of Bell Block, Taranaki Region, New Zealand”, https://seismoatlas.com/earthquake/us6000tz1c-m5-0-earthquake-17-km-sse-of-bell-block-taranaki-region-new-zealand, data from USGS.
JSON: /api/v1/events/us6000tz1c. SeismoAtlas is not an official warning service.