| Magnitude | 5.0 |
| Alert | Strong |
| Depth | 59.5 km |
| Coordinates | -36.218, 179.451 |
| UTC time | 1997-03-12 15:30:26.970 |
Earthquake details
Wednesday, March 12, 1997 Earthquake
The earthquake hit New Zealand on Wednesday, March 12, 1997 at 15:30 UTC with a magnitude of 5.0. The closest known location in the current dataset is Gisborne (New Zealand - NZ), about 299.7 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude 179.451 and latitude -36.218.
| Location | Tauranga |
| Country | New Zealand (NZ) |
| Severity | Strong |
Earthquake map 1997-03-12
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Gisborne | 299.7 km |
| Tauranga | 334.7 km |
| Rotorua | 355.7 km |
| Hamilton | 409.4 km |
| Manukau | 417.4 km |
| Papatoetoe | 420.4 km |
| Auckland | 425.1 km |
| Napier City | 427.3 km |
| Hastings | 444.0 km |
| Whangarei | 465.0 km |
| Whanganui | 565.3 km |
| New Plymouth | 569.4 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
|
329.1 km |
|
M 4.4
Rotorua
New Zealand · 2025-11-03 23:34 UTC
|
353.2 km |
|
M 4.4
Tauranga
New Zealand · 2025-10-21 16:42 UTC
|
335.5 km |
|
M 4.3
Tauranga
New Zealand · 2025-09-22 15:51 UTC
|
321.7 km |
|
M 4.1
Tauranga
New Zealand · 2025-08-05 04:56 UTC
|
274.9 km |
|
M 4.4
Rotorua
New Zealand · 2025-06-12 07:37 UTC
|
367.9 km |
|
M 4.4
Tauranga
New Zealand · 2025-05-30 04:22 UTC
|
241.9 km |
|
M 4.4
Rotorua
New Zealand · 2025-05-27 18:24 UTC
|
373.2 km |
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