....7 hours ago....... swarm of 11 large quakes..... Powerful 6.5 magnitude earthquake rattles New Zealand. August 16, 2013 – NEW ZEALAND - A 6.5-magnitude earthquake has struck south of New Zealand’s capital Wellington, sending panicked workers and residents into the streets just weeks after a similar tremor struck the city. The quake hit 10 kilometres south-east of the town of Seddon at a depth of eight kilometres and has been followed by at least seven aftershocks, all measuring more than magnitude 4.4. So far, there have been no reports of injuries or major damage to buildings. There was no specific threat of a widespread tsunami, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre. The main tremor was originally reported as 6.0-magnitude by NZ GeoNet. The US Geological Survey (USGS) measured the quake as 6.8-magnitude. The quake was later downgraded to a 6.5. The University and business district were evacuated. Local reports said the quake was felt as far away as Gisborne, Auckland and Hamilton. The tremor caused a violent jolt in Wellington, where office workers dived for cover under their desks. There were reports of power cuts to areas of the South Island, and Wellington’s airport was briefly closed to check the runway for damage. Wellington’s airport was briefly closed to check the runway for damage. Train services were also stopped in case rails had buckled in the quake, but police said they had received no reports of significant injury or damage. Lifts were out of action in some office buildings and, as the aftershocks continued, many businesses sent their workers home early on Friday afternoon, causing large traffic jams in the capital. “This area in particular is very active in the last couple of months. This is a continuation of that activity,’ a seismologist from Geoscience Australia said, noting that a 6.5-magnitude quake in the same area on July 21 had caused damage. There have been hundreds of aftershocks since the July quake, with residents fearing a repeat of a devastating quake that hit Christchurch in February 2011, killing 185 people. New Zealand is on the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, forming part of the so-called “Ring of Fire”, and experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year. –ABC.net
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 13:38:08 +0000
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