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5.7 Magnitude quake, 8km deep and centred 30km east of Seddon

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Alicat
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« on: July 19, 2013, 10:38:54 am »

Magnitude 5.7 earthquake rocks central New Zealand


An earthquake rated as severe by GNS has turned Wellington office workers white-knuckled and swayed Blenheim buildings as it jolted central New Zealand.

Did you feel the quake? Add your comments below.

The 5.7-magnitude quake, 8km deep and centred 30km east of Seddon, in Marlborough, was felt as far away as Christchurch and New Plymouth.

In Wellington it was felt as one jolt, gradually picking up in intensity, while those in Blenheim felt two shakes.

Many Wellington office workers reported ducking under their desks when it arrived at 9.06am, and following the quake there was a report of lifts being out of action.

The earthquake "felt like I was standing on a skate board,'' Mena Bassily said.

''I was at the gym on one floor and hoped it was only Wellington, not a bigger remote earthquake harming another NZ city somewhere else".

Jenny Nelson of Wellington wrote: "It was a rattler - cabinets and glasses clinking."

Hinekura Winiata said: ''Felt it here in Otaki. It was strong and could hear the rumbling of it.''

The building manager for Wellington's tallest building, the 28-storey Majestic Centre, Natahan Ryan said initial reports were that there was no damage.

There was not enough movement in the high-level lifts to trigger the seismic sensors, which would have stopped the lifts from moving.

He said seismic monitoring equipment in the building also revealed everything was OK.

The building hosts the Earthquake Commission, where 177 staff are employed.

'LIKE A BLOODY ROLLERCOASTER'

South of Blenheim, Lake Grassmere farmer Peter Davison said he had never seen his house buck and shake so much.

''It was like being on a bloody rollercoaster,'' he said.

He was looking out the window of his Marfells Beach Rd home when it hit.

It was worse than the Boxing Day quake in 2010, which he had been in Christchurch for, he said.

''I've never felt anything like it,'' he said.

His fishing rods had fallen and lay scattered around his library, blocking the way to the lounge, and pictures were askew on the walls.

''It's a wooden house and I've never seen the walls move like this.''

'BIGGEST' QUAKE

Winemaker Peter Yealands from Marlborough's Awatere Valley said the quake was the biggest he could recall: "It seemed to go for quite a while.''

''The tanks moved a bit and the staff were a bit scared, as you'd expect,'' Yealands said.

It was the first major quake for the Yealands Estate winery, since it was built in 2008. Sitting on a fault line area it had been designed to withstand a magnitude-8 earthquake.


http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8939106/Magnitude-5-7-earthquake-rocks-central-New-Zealand
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Alicat
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« Reply #1 on: July 19, 2013, 10:40:07 am »

I had no damage, but the china and crystal rattled for a little while. To start with I thought it was me because I had just walked past the China Cabinet. The cats looked a little surprised but were focussed on getting me to hurry up and feed them!
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« Reply #2 on: July 19, 2013, 11:02:48 am »

Great news to hear that you are safe Ali
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« Reply #3 on: July 19, 2013, 04:14:42 pm »


http://www.geonet.org.nz/quakes/felt

 Shocked
http://www.geonet.org.nz/quakes/drums
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Alicat
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« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2013, 04:45:56 pm »

Wellington hit by magnitude 5.7 earthquake

The Wellington region has been shaken by another strong quake this afternoon, after a 5.7 earthquake rocked the capital city this morning.

The magnitude 4.4 quake, at 3.21pm, was centred 55km west of Levin at a depth of 16km and had a Mercalli Intensity reading of 6. It was not centred near the spot where the first quake struck this morning.

Earlier today, people screamed, dived under desks and sheltered in doorways as a "severe" magnitude 5.7 earthquake rocked Wellington this morning.

There were no reports of damage so far, but workers in the central city have described multi-storey office buildings swaying for at least 30 seconds as the quake hit at 9.06am.

GeoNet said the "severe" quake struck 30km east of Seddon, in Marlborough, at a depth of 8km.

There has been a flurry of smaller shocks since the initial magnitude 5.7 quake, the strongest recorded as magnitude 3.8 at 9.38am.

At least 10 other shocks were recorded in the Marlborough area by 9.45am.

A Fire Service central communications spokeswoman said there were no reports of damage in the Wellington region so far, although an alarm activation may have been caused by the quake.

The quake shook the emergency services communications centre on the seventh floor of the police station on Victoria St in central Wellington for a good 30 seconds, she said.

There have also been no reports of damage in the upper South Island, a Fire Service southern communications spokesman said.

GNS duty seismologist Anna Kaiser said the quake, centred halfway between Wellington and Blenheim, was the biggest in the region this year.

It was felt as far north as New Plymouth and as far south as Canterbury, with more than 6000 people reporting they felt the quake on the GeoNet website.

Dr Kaiser said that level of feedback was "quite a lot'', due to the quake striking close to a large urban centre.

There have been more than 20 aftershocks in the five hours since the initial quake - and more are expected.

Most of the aftershocks would not be felt, but some were able to be felt in Wellington and at the top of the South Island.

"They will taper off over the next few days - there will be much fewer than there have been today. We always get a level of background activity in this area anyway, so we do expect small quakes for a while.''

Dr Kaiser said a number of known faults in the area had been mapped by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.

However, it was not yet known which fault the quake had occurred on.

Upper Hutt woman Deb Norman said the first shake set the neighbour's dog barking, before a second shake hit less than a minute later.

"[It was] increasing in intensity and caused our three dogs to go crazy! The shake lasted in our home based in Upper Hutt for two and a half minutes.

"Oh well, was time for our teenage to get up - shake, rattle and roll; up time!"

Katie Russell, who was in Johnsonville, said the chair she was sitting on moved side to side.

"So my heart's still racing! Scary ... I've felt a couple of mild aftershocks too."

Twitter was flooded with tweets about the quake in the minutes afterwards.

GeoNet tweeted: "Well we all felt that at the office!"

Staff at the Ministry of Justice call centre in Wellington were "screaming in the background" when Press reporter Blair Ensor was on the phone to them when the quake struck, he tweeted.

TVNZ reporter Simon Bradwell tweeted that the quake was felt strongly in its fifth floor newsroom.

"Strong enough for most to get under their desks, first time I've seen that in over 8 years."

Ashleigh Lambert tweeted the quake was "scary".

"Phew, that was the first time I've actually considered getting under my desk for an earthquake."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10900169
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« Reply #5 on: July 20, 2013, 11:57:10 am »

Was in the middle of proctoring an exam when the 9am one hit. Half the students jumped up and ran for the door! I told them all to sit down and carry on with their exam as they were wasting valuable time to answer questions.
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« Reply #6 on: July 21, 2013, 09:16:31 am »

A 5.8 one this morning. Seddon has been rather active of late.
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« Reply #7 on: July 21, 2013, 09:39:23 am »

Just waiting for someone to blame John Key
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« Reply #8 on: July 21, 2013, 10:49:36 am »

Just so long as it is the earth moving under your feet and not the sky tumbling down as well.


...to misquote Carole King of course Wink
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Alicat
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« Reply #9 on: July 21, 2013, 10:59:05 am »

Big quake shakes central New Zealand


Central New Zealand has been shaken awake with a swarm of quakes including a large 5.8 event this morning.

The majority of the quakes were centred in the same area off Seddon in Marlborough that was hit on Friday by a 5.7.

This morning's first quake - 4.2 - struck at 7.04, was at a 10km depth and centred 35km east of Seddon.

It was followed 13 minutes later by the 5.8 shake that was centred 30km east of Seddon at a depth of 19km and then at 7.20 by a 4.3km shake at a depth of 14km and 25km east of Seddon, while a fourth - 4.3 - rattled the region from a depth of 22km at 7.30.

There have been over 30 earthquakes in total so far this morning with a 4.5 magnitude aftershock recorded at 9.28am and Geonet duty seismologist Dr Anna Kaiser said it's expected they would continue.

"It's quite common to get a shock reaching about four (on the richter scale) before a larger one, like we had before the 5.8 this morning.

"It's also normal to get a series of threes and fours afterwards and about every two minutes or so is common.''

GeoNet's website is also crashing this morning due to a high demand from people wanting to see where earthquakes have struck.

The run of earthquakes are a reminder that Wellington is a seismic active area and everyone should always be prepared, she said.

"These quakes this morning are very close to the subduction interface, which is the boundary between the Pacific and Australian plate.''

The aftershocks this morning have ranged from 2.5 to 4.1 - all centred in the same region. While Geonet initially reported quakes in other areas in both islands, it appears they were erroneous recordings sparked by the other quakes. (A full list of the quakes from 5.05am to 9am today is listed below).

There are no reports of damage yet, but Tranz Metro has advised all its services in Wellington have been delayed. Services on the Wairarapa and Johnsonville rail lines have been replaced by buses while track inspections are undertaken.

Both police and fire haven't received any emergency calls.

Rosa Williams, from Newlands and Shiree Palmer, in Otaki, both said on Facebook that the shaking was bigger and stronger than Friday's.

Eastbourne was quite different to being in Thorndon for Friday's earthquake, Erika Scott, said on Facebook.

"This was more a series of shakes and rolls for me and I feel safer than being in the city.''

A Blenheim man described the biggest of the quakes as a strong jolt followed by a rolling motion for about 15 seconds.

Winemaker Peter Yealands said there appeared to be no damage at his Seddon winery.

He was having breakfast at his Seaview home near Seddon when the quake hit, he said.

''It went on for about a minute, it was quite unnerving,'' he said.

There did not appear to be any damage to the winery, although some wine had sloshed out of the tanks on to the floor, he said.

Supervalue Seddon shop assistant Michaela Baillie said a few things fell off the shelves this morning.

''It was quite sharp and scary, it was certainly worse than the quake on Friday.''
 
Marlborough Civil Defence emergency services officer Gary Spence said there had been no reports of damage, following the quake.

"I've talked to the sector manager from Seddon and it sounds like it was pretty much like Friday, a few things off the shelves in the supermarket, but no injury and no severe damage," Mr Spence said.

US Ambassador to New Zealand David Huebner tweeted that the quake was felt as a "meaningful jolt and roll" in Lower Hutt.

Residents in Khandallah, Wellington, were woken by a sharp jolt, but said it didn't feel as strong as Friday's.

"We felt a single big heave and then there was just a light rumble for about 15 seconds It wasn't big enough to get us out of bed'" a Khandallah woman said.

Another Wellingtonian said "it made me get out of bed and crouch beside it and my husband walked through from the kitchen and joined me pointlessly huddled, so it must have last at least 15 seconds''.

Radio journalist Barry Soper took to Twitter to say the quake made a television fall against the wall at his home.

THIS MORNING'S QUAKES UP UNTIL 9AM

5.05am - 30 km east of Seddon - 3.5

7.04am - 30 km east of Seddon - 4.2

7.17am - 30 km east of Seddon - 5.8

7.20am - 25 km east of Seddon - 4.3

7.22am - 30 km east of Seddon - 4.1

7.25am - 25 km east of Seddon - 3.7

7.30am - 25 km east of Seddon - 4.4

7.33am - 5 km south of Wellington - 2.5

7.35am - 25km east of Seddon - 3.4

7.37am - 25 km east of Seddon - 3.2

7.43am - 25 km east of Seddon - 3.8

7.45am - 25 km east of Seddon - 3.9

7.52am - 25km east of Seddon - 3.3

7.57am - 25 km east of Seddon - 3.4

7.58am - 25 km east of Seddon - 3.4

8am - 25km east of Seddon - 3.6

8.05am - 30 km east of Seddon - 3.3

8.06am - 25 km south-west of Wellington - 3.2

8.08am - 15km east of Murupara - 3.7

8.14am - 30km east of Seddon - 3.1

8.20am - 25km east of Seddon - 3.2

8.32am - 25 km east of Seddon - 3.1

8.37am - 30 km east of Seddon - 3.5

8.56am - 25 km east of Seddon - 2.9

8.59am - 25 km east of Seddon - 2.8


http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8945358/Big-quake-shakes-central-New-Zealand
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« Reply #10 on: July 21, 2013, 11:00:06 am »

The one at 7.17am woke me up with quite a start. Yogi and Mitzi slept through it all but poor Bailey was upset. I was a few seconds away from leaping out of bed to 'drop cover and hold' when it stopped.
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« Reply #11 on: July 21, 2013, 12:27:05 pm »

Just waiting for someone to blame John Key

And here I was thinking Gerry Brownlie had farted
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Alicat
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« Reply #12 on: July 21, 2013, 12:30:40 pm »

Just waiting for someone to blame John Key

And here I was thinking Gerry Brownlie had farted


I wonder if GNS would be able to measure that fart on the Ripter Scale














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« Reply #13 on: July 21, 2013, 04:45:34 pm »

Just waiting for someone to blame John Key

And here I was thinking Gerry Brownlie had farted

If that is what is was he must have eaten something really bad.

Windy Wellington is shaking like a jelly on a plate today.
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Alicat
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« Reply #14 on: July 21, 2013, 05:10:55 pm »

HOLY CRAP!
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Alicat
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« Reply #15 on: July 21, 2013, 05:15:23 pm »

Okay - that was a decent one. The poor cats don't think much of it. I don't think much of it either
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« Reply #16 on: July 21, 2013, 05:34:16 pm »

Big quake shakes central New Zealand


BREAKING NEWS: A large 6.8 earthquake has hit Wellington, sending office workers diving under their desks.

Aftershocks were continuing after the shake, with a 5.5 magnitude hitting within minutes.

The 6.9 shake struck at 5.09pm at a depth of 11km, 30km east of Seddon. Shakes are continuing in the capital and the earthquake was felt as far away as Hamilton and Christchurch.


http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8945358/Big-quake-shakes-central-New-Zealand
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« Reply #17 on: July 21, 2013, 05:56:17 pm »

The poor cats don't think much of it.


Wait until they start slinking around the house with their undercarriages half-retracted and their bellies dragging on the carpet. Then you'll know it was a REALLY decent earthquake. Friends in Christchurch tell me that's what their cats used to do when a really big one hit. They used to look at the cats whenever the ground shook to see whether it was a big one or not.

However, I didn't feel a thing....I'm parked at Auckland Airport waiting to board a flight to Masterton in about twenty minutes or so.

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« Reply #18 on: July 21, 2013, 06:33:14 pm »


Wellington Waterfront


Central New Zealand has been hit by a severe magnitude 6.5 earthquake.

Geonet said it was centred in the Cook Strait, 20 kilometres east of Seddon at a depth of 17 kilometres. It struck at 5.09 pm

It is the latest in a sequence of major earthquakes that have been hitting Wellington and wider areas around central New Zealand since Thursday.

Quakes measuring 6.8 on the Richter Scale, 5.5 and 6.9 have all hit the Wellington area.

The most recent series of major quakes at the city on notice early this morning.

In the latest to strike this evening, there have been reports of considerable minor damage around the capital but there were no initial reports of injuries.

The Fire Service has cordoned-off part of the Civic Square  in Wellington, as water gushes from a quake-damaged building.

Part of the square underneath the over bridge was shut by 5.45pm tonight after water started flowing out of the side of the fourth storey of the Wellington Library, close to why it connects with the toe of the over bridge.

Flynn O'Leary, who was working security for Wellington City Council at the square, said it appeared this afternoon's 6.5 magnitude quake had ruptures pipes inside the building. It was not immediately clear whether there was a risk of the over bridge collapsing. 

The latest 6.5 quake gave a "severe roll" that has cut power in parts of Wellington.

A Wellington Electricity said there were currently power outages in Karori and parts of Wainuiomata. He estimated about 3500 customers were without power following the quake. 

Parts of the Beehive and Parliament have suffered damage.

Tranz Metro advised that all train services to and from Wellington had been cancelled until further notice. Buses had been arranged, but would be limited. 

Other parts of New Zealand have also been hit with people feeling the earthquake in Nelson, Palmerston North and other urban areas in the North and South Island.

Martinborough resident Ray Lilley said the quake shook the property for at least 40 seconds in a series of waves that rocked the house, causing it to rise and fall half a dozen times.

In Blenheim people had come out onto the streets.

Seddon is without power.

The drama seem to have begun early this morning as a swarm of earthquakes began in the Cook Strait.

On Friday, the country's biggest quake of recent months, a magnitude 5.7 event centred in Cook Strait at a depth of 8km, frightened Marlborough and Wellington residents. A second quake of 4.5 magnitude followed hours later.

GNS Science spokesman John Callan said there were several active faults under the seabed in Cook Strait.

Seismologists said post-seismic deformation in Canterbury was quite different from "slow-slip" or "silent" quakes that have been happening in parts of the North Island, such as Poverty Bay, Hawke's Bay and offshore of the Kapiti Coast, over the past decade. 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8945358/Big-quake-shakes-central-New-Zealand
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« Reply #19 on: July 21, 2013, 08:29:42 pm »


I got home after a nice, smooth flight from Auckland to Masterton to discover all of my kitchen cupboard doors had popped open, although nothing had fallen out.

No damage anywhere that I can see.

The taxi driver who picked me up at Masterton Airport said it was a real decent shake here.

I'm only going to be around tonight, then I'm off to Napier tomorrow.

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« Reply #20 on: July 21, 2013, 08:45:27 pm »

From the sounds of it you wouldn't have to work tomorrow anyway KTJ. I hear the trains have been cancelled until the lines have been checked.

All the Telecommas and Chorusters in Wellington, Marlborough and Nelson have been told to work from home Monday or until all the buildings have been checked.
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Alicat
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« Reply #21 on: July 21, 2013, 09:34:46 pm »

Big quake shakes central New Zealand



A severe magnitude 6.5 earthquake has hit central New Zealand this evening, damaging buildings, cutting power, trapping people in lifts and injuring at least two people.

GeoNet said it was centred in the Cook Strait, 20 kilometres east of Seddon at a depth of 17 kilometres. It struck at 5.09pm.

he Pacific Tsunami Center in Hawaii said the quake did not generate a tsunami, but a number of smaller quakes have struck since - the latest, a 4.4 magnitude 25km east of Seddon at 8.27pm, followed closely by a 5.1 magnitude near Hanmer Springs.

A spokesman for Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye confirmed acivil defence emergency had not been declared, but an emergency centre had been set up in Thorndon.

At least two people have been reported as injured - one person in Kapiti and another who was hit by a falling television in Wellington.

A spokesman for Wellington Free Ambulance said they received a number of calls following the quake.

''We had one guy knocked out by a TV falling on him. That was at the Soho Apartments in Taranaki St. He was a male in his 40s and was taken to Wellington Hospital."

There had been extensive reports of damage in the capital, but so far most of it minor.   

A section of ceiling collapsed on the third floor of the community health building at Hutt Hospital. Four staff members were evacuated.

Police spokesman Inspector Marty Parker said buildings in the city were being evacuated after structural damage was discovered.

A building on Featherston St was cleared, as was the Mercure Hotel on Willis St.

"Apparently they've suffered structural damage. They're evacuating that and a couple of surrounding buildings, as a precautionary measure."

Road blocks were also in place around the Mercure, he said.

A number of glass windows across the city had also smashed, and cracks had appeared in many buildings.

Infrastructure across the central and lower North Island, and the top of the South Island had ground to a halt.

Phone lines jammed in the top of the South Island and bottom of the North Island immediately after the large quake struck as people tried to call family and friends, a Telecom spokeswoman said.

Both the mobile network and the landline network were overloaded for 15 to 20 minutes.

''There was a spike in traffic straight after the quake hit, which is as we would expect - everyone getting on the phone to make sure their family is OK.

''To the best of our knowledge there's no network damage.''

People should send text messages, instead of calling, to ensure emergency calls can get through, the spokeswoman said.

Vodafone customers were also affected when nine mobile sites went down immediately after the large quake.
   
Sites in Marlborough were affected by power outages and two Wellington sites lost coverage, a spokeswoman said.

''Some customers may have had problems with calls and tects following the quake - issues compounded by overloading on the network, rather than damage.''

The network was now stable and all mobile cell sites had been restored. 

''Our guys are just making sure now that staff are OK, buildings are OK and that the network is stable.''

Prime Minister John Key was not in the capital but his spokesman said his thoughts were with quake-hit regions.

"This will be a frightening time for people in areas where the quakes are most felt, and the Prime Minister's thoughts are with them at this time," the spokesman said.

Key was being kept informed on events.

"No tsunami warning for the region has been issued. However, the Wellington City and Hutt City Regional Emergency Management Offices are activating to coordinate any response at a local level," the spokesman said.

"At this stage, the Prime Minister will be returning to Wellington on Monday morning, as planned."

A Kiwirail spokeswoman said services from Otaki in the North Island to Kaikoura had been suspended until further notice.

There could be some disruption to freight services between Picton and Kaikoura, while an inspection of the tracks, bridges and tunnels was done, the spokeswoman said. 

A spokesman for the NZ Transport Agency said an initial damage report of state highways in the quake zone was done and no damage or blockages were found.

The agency would carry out more detailed inspections tomorrow, he said.

The 6.5 magnitude quake was likely linked to a fault in the Cook Strait capable of generating far more severe shaking, GNS Science said.

Dr Kelvin Berryman, GNS Science director of Natural Hazards, said the severe shaking over the past three days was probably linked to one of several faults capable of generating shakes of magnitude 7.0 or more.

The most likely candidate was the Needle fault, although the location of the quakes over the past three days did not quite match up.

He said a larger quake was unlikely but the swarm that kicked off on Friday morning was not following the normal aftershock pattern, in which the tremors became progressively less severe.

This afternoon's 6.5 magnitude shake, the biggest in the latest swarm, meant the shaking was not following the usual pattern, he said.

GNS should have a clearer idea of the probability of another big, or even bigger, quake by tomorrow, he said.

Research seismologist Stephen Bannister said a magnitude 6.5 earthquake releases energy equivalent to 100 nuclear bombs of the size which devastated Hiroshima.

There had been more than 230 earthquakes since Friday in the area, with about 15 above magnitude 4.

"People will be feeling shocks that register above [magnitude] 3, and we have had about 50 of those since Friday.

"It's not a simple main shock followed by aftershocks, it's an evolving sequence," Bannister said.

He said with earthquakes of this size, aftershocks should be anticipated in the coming days.

"We would just encourage people to make sure they have their emergency kits and rations ready for future events. We can't say how many more large ones to expect."

Victoria University geophysics professor Euan Smith said much of Wellington's city centre was reclaimed land which meant it was not as stable as other areas.

"Where rubble has come down in Featherston St, there was no land there before the 1855 earthquake in Wellington.

"Reclaimed land shakes more easily and is not as strong as hard ground. From Lambton Quay and towards the harbour is also reclaimed land, and these areas will shake much more strongly than other areas."

The Hutt Valley was similarly on softer ground.

"If this evening's was the first then I would say we could expect them to decay in the usual way, but given we had the earlier ones we should still be anticipating that there could be quite large earthquakes for the next few days."

The Earthquake Commission announced earlier this month that they had renegotiated $3.25bn in reinsurance cover.

Chief Executive Ian Simpson said at the time that EQC has sufficient cover to meet the costs of a "significant' disaster.

If there were a sequence of events, as in Canterbury, it would have up to $6.5bn in cover. A spokesman for EQC minister Gerry Brownlee said EQC had "ample to cover any future event."


http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8945358/Big-quake-shakes-central-New-Zealand
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« Reply #22 on: July 21, 2013, 10:08:43 pm »

Just waiting for someone to blame John Key

Or those nasty poluting farmers causing global warming....
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« Reply #23 on: July 21, 2013, 10:39:35 pm »

From the sounds of it you wouldn't have to work tomorrow anyway KTJ. I hear the trains have been cancelled until the lines have been checked.

All the Telecommas and Chorusters in Wellington, Marlborough and Nelson have been told to work from home Monday or until all the buildings have been checked.


It's all merely academic to me.

I last worked on Tuesday, then I flew up to Auckland on Wednesday, returning this evening.

Tomorrow, I'm heading up to Napier for the night, then returning home on Tuesday.

Wednesday and Thursday are lazy days in Masterton.

On Friday, I'm off to Wellington for three nights, returning home the following Monday.

Tuesday will be another lazy day at home.

The following day, Wednesday in a week-and-a-half (31st July), will be the next time I go to work.

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If you aren't living life on the edge, you're taking up too much space! 
Crusader
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« Reply #24 on: July 21, 2013, 10:53:26 pm »

The quakes aren't really bothering me as much as the fucken dogs in the neighbourhood. I swear if some dog owners don't start developing a sense of owner responsibility and shut their mutts up, I will!
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