| Magnitude | 5.0 |
| Alert | Strong |
| Depth | 54.0 km |
| Coordinates | -37.310, 178.236 |
| UTC time | 1978-10-21 11:49:22.400 |
Earthquake details
Saturday, October 21, 1978 Earthquake
The earthquake hit New Zealand on Saturday, October 21, 1978 at 11:49 UTC with a magnitude of 5.0. The closest known location in the current dataset is Gisborne (New Zealand - NZ), about 150.9 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude 178.236 and latitude -37.310.
| Location | Tauranga |
| Country | New Zealand (NZ) |
| Severity | Strong |
Earthquake map 1978-10-21
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Gisborne | 150.9 km |
| Tauranga | 187.5 km |
| Rotorua | 198.1 km |
| Hamilton | 265.9 km |
| Napier City | 269.0 km |
| Hastings | 285.9 km |
| Manukau | 299.8 km |
| Papatoetoe | 303.7 km |
| Auckland | 312.6 km |
| Whangarei | 391.6 km |
| Whanganui | 402.5 km |
| Palmerston North | 408.4 km |
Nearby earthquakes
The latest 8 earthquakes within 100 km of this epicenter.
|
M 4.2
Tauranga
New Zealand · 2026-01-08 10:20 UTC
|
180.2 km |
|
M 4.4
Rotorua
New Zealand · 2025-11-03 23:34 UTC
|
194.6 km |
|
M 4.4
Tauranga
New Zealand · 2025-10-21 16:42 UTC
|
187.7 km |
|
M 4.3
Tauranga
New Zealand · 2025-09-22 15:51 UTC
|
171.8 km |
|
M 4.1
Tauranga
New Zealand · 2025-08-05 04:56 UTC
|
121.1 km |
|
M 4.4
Rotorua
New Zealand · 2025-06-12 07:37 UTC
|
210.6 km |
|
M 4.4
Tauranga
New Zealand · 2025-05-30 04:22 UTC
|
103.2 km |
|
M 4.4
Rotorua
New Zealand · 2025-05-27 18:24 UTC
|
212.5 km |
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