Real-time coverage of earthquake event — 14 km S of Hicks Bay, New Zealand — Pandita Data.
🌍 OPEN LIVE 3D EARTHQUAKE MAPA magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 14 km south of Hicks Bay, New Zealand, at 08:35 UTC on August 2, 2026, at a depth of 52.8 km. The USGS issued a GREEN PAGER alert, indicating minimal to no reported damage. No tsunami warning was issued. The event was felt by 24 people across the East Cape region.
This moderate-depth rupture occurred along the Pacific–Australian plate boundary, one of Earth's most seismically active zones. New Zealand experiences frequent earthquakes due to the oblique collision of these massive tectonic plates, which produces both strike-slip and subduction-zone seismicity. The East Cape region, where Hicks Bay is located, sits near the Hikurangi Subduction Zone—a 900 km-long region where the Pacific Plate descends beneath the Australian Plate at approximately 4.7 cm per year.
Hicks Bay is positioned on the North Island of New Zealand, directly above the Hikurangi Subduction Zone interface. This region produces earthquakes across a wide range of depths and magnitudes. The subduction zone is responsible for the largest seismic events in New Zealand's recorded history, including the 1868 Great Earthquake (estimated M7.5) that devastated Hawke's Bay. At 52.8 km depth, today's rupture occurred at the upper-plate portion of the subduction interface, in the brittle, locked zone where stress accumulates between major slip events.
The earthquake released approximately 1.8 × 1015 joules of energy—equivalent to 430 tons of TNT. At 52.8 km depth, this rupture nucleated below the seismogenic zone where the largest megathrust earthquakes initiate. Intermediate-depth subduction zone earthquakes at this depth typically produce less ground shaking at the surface than shallower events of equal magnitude, because seismic waves attenuate over the additional vertical distance.
Shallow earthquakes (<30 km) cause intense ground shaking near the epicenter. Deep earthquakes (>50 km) dissipate energy over larger areas, reducing peak acceleration. This 52.8 km event produced moderate shaking in Hicks Bay and surrounding communities—sufficient to be felt, but well below damaging thresholds. No structural damage was reported.
Hicks Bay is a small coastal settlement with a population of approximately 500. The wider East Cape district includes communities like Tolaga Bay and Ruatoria, which lie 30–50 km from the epicenter. Shaking intensity was estimated at Modified Mercalli Intensity III–IV (weak to light), consistent with the 24 felt reports. No aftershocks of significant magnitude have been recorded. The NEW ZEALAND SEISMIC HAZARD MODEL ranks this region as high-risk for larger subduction-zone events, making earthquake preparedness essential for residents.
The USGS Tsunami Warning System assessed no tsunami risk from this event. Deep subduction-zone earthquakes produce less seafloor deformation than shallow thrust events, even at equivalent magnitudes. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center confirmed no hazard to New Zealand coasts or the broader Pacific.
Visit Pandita Data's 3D Earthquake Simulator to explore real-time rupture mechanics, plate boundary motion, and seismic wave propagation in the Hikurangi Subduction Zone. Visualize how depth, magnitude, and focal mechanism determine ground shaking patterns—critical