tagged w/ Ring of Fire
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RT News...
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RT News line, December 27
13:10 PM
Residents in panic as Indonesian volcano erupts
One of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, Mount Lokon, erupted on Tuesday. It has caused panic among villagers, but no evacuation has been ordered so far. Two villages of about 10,000 people each have been affected by the ash, which is now no longer being emitted, AFP quotes volcanologists from a monitoring post near the volcano on Sulawesi Island as saying. Lokon’s eruption in 1991 killed a Swiss tourist. When the volcano erupted in July, with huge clouds of ash as high as 3,500 meters, more than 5,200 people were evacuated.
.RT News...
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RT News line, December 27
13:10 PM
Residents in panic as... more
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The U.S. Geological Survey reports that a 7.1 magnitude earthquake has struck the remote Fox and Aleutian Islands off the Alaskan coast.
The quake was recorded at 1:55 a.m. It's not clear if the earthquake caused damage or injuries.
A tsunami warning has been issued for the Alaskan coastline.The U.S. Geological Survey reports that a 7.1 magnitude earthquake has struck the... more
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CNN...
Strong earthquake strikes off Chilean coast
By the CNN Wire Staff
July 15, 2011 9:05 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The 6.0-magnitude earthquake strikes south-southwest of Valparaiso
Tremors are felt in Santiago
(CNN) -- A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck offshore some 58 miles south-southwest of Valparaiso, Chile, on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
Tremors from the quake were felt in the nation's capital, Santiago, which is east of Valparaiso.
Chile is on the so-called "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines circling the Pacific Basic that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.CNN...
Strong earthquake strikes off Chilean coast
By the CNN Wire Staff
July... more
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Yet another massive earthquake of a 7.3 magnitude jolted Japan's northeastern coast on Sunday that triggered a brief tsunami warning for the area, which is still recovering from the March 11 earthquake and resulting tsunami that destroyed houses, power and swept away whole towns.
According to public broadcaster NHK, the tsunami alert for the northeast coast has been lifted, about two hours after the quake. Earlier, the workers at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant were warned to evacuate following an alert for a tsunami of 50 centimeters issued by the country's metreological agency. However, there were no immediate reports of damage from the earthquake.
The earthquake struck at 9:57 local time (0057 GMT). The epicenter of the quake was in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan's main island, Honshu, at a depth of about 20 miles (30 kilometers).
The same area was hit by a massive 9.0 earthquake on March 11 that left nearly 23,000 dead or missing. It also cut power to the Fukishima nuclear power plant that eventually melted down into the worst nuclear disaster ever.
After March 11, due to power loss at the Fukushima nuclear plant, the cooling systems were hurt badly, causing fuel in three of the plant's six reactors to melt down. Apart from that, subsequent hydrogen blasts scattered radioactive waste over a wide area.
Because of the radiation, nearly 80,000 residents have been forced to evacuate. Japan's government has faced tough time for its handling of the disaster, putting more pressure on unpopular Prime Minister Naoto Kan to quit.
Fortunately, there were no reports of abnormalities at the Fukushima plant caused by Sunday's quake, according to Japan's Kyodo news agency. Airports are also functioning normally.
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Does the Costa Rica's Seafloor hold clues to Japan earthquake?
Scientists believe that pieces of rock and seafloor from deep in the Pacific Ocean near Costa Rica might be helpful in explaining why Japan's deadly magnitude-9.0 quake was so large. Falling within the so-called Ring of Fire zone, both Japan and Costa Rica nations are prone earthquakes. Volcanic arcs and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin form the Ring of Fire, a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Scientists have collected nearly 1 mile of sediment cores (cylinders of earth drilled out from the ground) from the ocean floor off the coast of Costa Rica, revealing detailed records of about 2 million years of tectonic activity along a nearby seismic plate boundary, where one tectonic plate dives beneath another, called a subduction zone. It was the crack of a subduction zone that generated the Japan quake, Insidecostarica reported.
"It's critical to understand how subduction zone earthquakes and tsunamis originate - especially in light of recent events in Japan," said Rodey Batiza of the National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Sciences. "The results of this expedition will also help us learn more about our own such zone off the Pacific Northwest."
Over 80 percent of global earthquakes above magnitude 8.0 occur along subduction zones.Yet another massive earthquake of a 7.3 magnitude jolted Japan's northeastern... more
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CNN...
Thousands evacuate, ashes spread after Chilean volcano erupts
June 6th, 2011
02:24 PM ET
Parts of southern Chile remained on red alert and schools in some areas of neighboring Argentina were closed Monday after a volcanic eruption coated the countryside with ashes, authorities said.
Smoke and ash shot more than six miles into the the sky when the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano complex in southern Chile first erupted Saturday afternoon. Authorities evacuated about 3,500 people from the area, the state emergency office said.
"I ask all the population (in designated areas) to evacuate as soon as possible, because ... human life could be at risk," said Juan Andres Varas, regional governor of Los Rios, Chile.
In a statement posted on the Los Rios government's website Monday, he said volcanic material and potentially toxic gases were slowly advancing toward the nearby Nilahue Valley.
"Fortunately, the valley doesn't drop abruptly, so we have time to evacuate," he said.
Schools in some cities and rural areas in neighboring Argentina were closed Monday, even as the volcanic activity appeared to have diminished, the state-run Telam news agency said.
Eastward wind gusts have left a layer of ashes up to 30 centimeters (12 inches) on an Argentinian highway, Telam reported. Ashes had reached the country's Atlantic coast by early Sunday.
By Monday, several centimeters of ashes were beginning to accumulate in areas further north, and authorities told Telam the volcano's impact was difficult to predict.
"We still don't know, because it depends on the wind how it will continue. ... The recommendation to the population is that they stay inside," said Eduardo Munos, municipal civil defense director in Junin de los Andes, Argentina.
Chile is located on the so-called "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
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PHOTO: Volcanic lightning is seen over the Puyehue volcano, over 500 miles south of Santiago, Chile, Sunday June 5, 2011. Authorities have evacuated about 600 people in the nearby area. The volcano was calm on Sunday, one day after raining down ash and forcing thousands to flee, although the cloud of soot it had belched out still darkened skies as far away as Argentina. (AP Photo/Francisco Negroni, AgenciaUno)CNN...
Thousands evacuate, ashes spread after Chilean volcano erupts
June 6th,... more
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Thousands evacuate as volcano erupts in southern Chile
By the CNN Wire Staff
June 4, 2011 7:25 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The government orders some 3,500 people to leave their homes
There were no immediate reports of injuries
Ash clouds waft toward Argentina
(CNN) -- A volcanic eruption in southern Chile Saturday shot smoke and ash miles into the sky and forced the evacuation of some 3,500 people.
"We are taking all necessary precautions," said Chilean Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter, announcing the government's evacuation orders.
An explosion in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic complex sent plumes of smoke more than six miles into the air, the state emergency office said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Video from the area showed white smoke drifting against an otherwise bright blue sky.
Hinzpeter said ash from the eruption could spread quickly with the wind and warned it had already reached parts of neighboring Argentina.
Chile is located on the so-called "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.Thousands evacuate as volcano erupts in southern Chile
By the CNN Wire Staff
June 4,... more
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The death toll from a powerful earthquake that hit Myanmar has gone up to 75, state media reported Friday.
At least 111 people were injured, Myanmar Radio reported.
The 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on Thursday near its borders with China, Thailand and Laos, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
It was a relatively shallow quake, which can be very destructive.
The Geological Survey said the quake was 6 miles (10 km) deep, putting it fairly close to the surface.
Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, has been badly hit by natural disasters in the past few years.
A powerful cyclone in 2008 left an estimated 100,000 people dead and another one two years later left 70,000 people homeless, the United Nations said.
The quake was significantly less powerful than the one that hit Japan two weeks ago, causing a tsunami and prompting fears of a nuclear meltdown. The series of disasters in Japan has left more than 10,000 people dead.
The Myanmar quake was roughly comparable in magnitude and depth to last year's Haiti earthquake, which measured 7.0. More than 200,000 people died in the Haiti earthquake, and millions were affected.The death toll from a powerful earthquake that hit Myanmar has gone up to 75, state... more
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Scientific American...
Could the Recent Pacific Megaquakes Trigger a West Coast Temblor?
A series of major earthquakes have struck beneath the Pacific Ocean in less than a year and a half. Could the U.S. west coast be next?
By Sid Perkins | March 21, 2011 | 8
The Japan Earthquake and Tsunami On March 11, a powerful, magnitude 9.0 quake hit northeastern Japan, triggering a tsunami with 10-meter-high waves that reached the U.S. west coast. Here's the science behind the disaster » March 11, 2011
In the past 15 months several devastating earthquakes have rumbled beneath the Pacific. In February 2010 a magnitude 8.8 temblor slammed central Chile; this past September a magnitude 7 quake walloped Christchurch, New Zealand, leading to a magnitude 6.3 aftershock this past February. The magnitude 9 megaquake that devastated Japan March 11 was the fifth largest in the last 110 years.
Some may wonder if these quakes are linked. A high-magnitude earthquake in Japan, one notion goes, might redistribute stress in Earth's crust, subsequently triggering another temblor in the following months or years—a quake that could even strike as far away as the western shores of the U.S. But the apparent clustering of major seismic events that take place thousands of kilometers apart is probably coincidental. That the Japanese and Chilean megaquakes occurred only 13 months apart is a statistical fluke, the chance alignment of two independent events. "Over great distances, the chances of stress transfer triggering a major quake are low if not nonexistent," says Chris Goldfinger, a marine geologist at Oregon State University in Corvallis.
Even though the recent Japanese temblor has not boosted seismic risk along the U.S. west coast, that doesn't mean residents there can rest easy. The best gauge of quake risk in the northeastern Pacific is the region's seismic history. Whereas scientific instruments designed to document quakes have been around barely more than a century, the interval between major quakes is much longer than that. Thus, scientists turn to the geologic record to determine the recurrence interval of ancient quakes by carbon-dating organic material in sheets of tsunami debris washed far inland or in the layered remnants of submarine landslides smothering the floors of undersea canyons.
The most hazardous swath of the northeastern Pacific lies along the Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ), a tectonic interface that parallels the coast and poses a seismic threat to cities such as Victoria, British Columbia; Portland, Ore.; and Eureka, Calif. At that subduction zone, the tiny Juan de Fuca plate slides eastward beneath the massive North American plate between 30 and 40 millimeters each year—an interface that, with minor exceptions, has apparently been locked for centuries. "This subduction zone stands out as the big elephant in the corner," Goldfinger says. "It sits quiet for hundreds of years, and then goes off all at once."
The last megaquake to strike this region, one estimated to have been a magnitude 9 or greater, occurred the evening of January 26, 1700. According to new analyses by Goldfinger and his colleagues, soon to be published in a U.S. Geological Survey report, that quake is just one of 19 such quakes to have slammed the region in the past 10,000 years. In the same interval at least 20 other temblors measuring between magnitudes 8 and 9 have occurred.
The big question is, when will the next "Big One" hit? "It's going to happen," Goldfinger says. "It's just a matter of narrowing down the timeline."
The team's new data suggest that the northern portion of the CSZ, which stretches from the middle of Vancouver Island to the Washington State–Oregon border, has a 10 to 15 percent chance of suffering a magnitude 8 or greater quake in the next 50 years. But the southern portion of the zone, stretching from the same border to California's Cape Mendocino, has higher risk, as much as a 37 percent chance of the same magnitude temblor over that same interval.
Although most people may consider southern California to be the most quake-prone region in the nation, Goldfinger says that the CSZ is arguably the biggest seismic hazard in the U.S. "We've got a long way to go to get that into the national consciousness," he notes.
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RING OF FIRE The "Ring of Fire", also called the Circum-Pacific belt, is the zone of earthquakes surrounding the Pacific Ocean. Image: Courtesy USGS.govScientific American...
Could the Recent Pacific Megaquakes Trigger a West Coast... more
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First Breaking News...
MASSIVE QUAKE HITS JAPAN
Tokyo (CNN) -- An 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Japan early Friday, triggering tsunami alerts and sending people fleeing out of buildings in the capital. The quake rattled buildings and toppled cars off bridges and into waters underneath.
In Tokyo, crowds huddled together and tried to reach relatives via cell phone. Its epicenter was 373 kilometers (231 miles) from Tokyo, the United States Geological Survey said. It triggered a tsunami alert for various countries, the National Weather Service said.
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March 11, 2011 5:35 a.m. EST
Tokyo (CNN) -- An 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit northern Japan on Friday, triggering tsunamis and sending a massive wave filled with debris that included boats and houses inching toward land.
The number of fatalities was unclear, but Japan's Kyodo news reported at least 10 killed and numerous injured.
The quake prompted at least 20 countries and numerous Pacific islands to issue tsunami warnings. It was followed by powerful aftershocks that were felt in capital of Tokyo.
At Tokyo Station, one of Japan's busiest subway stations, people grabbed each other to steady themselves. Children cried. An announcement over the station loudspeaker warned commuters to remain underground.
With bus and train lines interrupted, workers and children poured into the streets after offices and schools were closed.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan appealed for calm and said there were no reported leaks of radioactive materials from power plants.
Firefighters battled a blaze at an oil refinery in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo.
"This was larger than anyone expected and went on longer than anyone expected," said Matt Alt in Tokyo.
"My wife was the calm one ... she told us to get down and put your back on something, and leave the windows and doors open in case a building shifts so you don't get trapped."
Richard Lloyd Parry said when the quake struck, he looked through a window and saw buildings shaking from side to side.
Such a large earthquake at such a shallow depth creates a lot of energy, said Shenza Chen of the U.S. Geological Survey.
A tsunami is sweeping across the Pacific Ocean, with a wall of water heading toward at more than a dozen countries.
An earthquake of that size can generate dangerous tsunamis to coasts outside the source region, the National Weather Service said.
Humanitarian agencies were working with rescue crews to reach the people affected.
"When such an earthquake impacts a developed country like Japan, our concern also turns to countries like the Philippines and Indonesia, which might not have the same resources," said Rachel Wolff, a spokeswoman for World Vision.
In Philippines alone, the tsunami is expected to hit in the early morning and the government has ordered the evacuation of 19 provinces along the coast, which could affect hundreds of thousands of people
Authorities in at least 20 countries and numerous Pacific islands issued tsunami warnings, the National Weather Service said.
The tsunami could cause damage "along coastlines of all islands in the state of Hawaii," warned the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property."
Tsunamis are a series of long ocean waves that can last five to 15 minutes and cause extensive flooding in coastal areas. A succession of waves can hit -- often the highest not being the first, said CNN meteorologist Ivan Cabrera.
A day earlier, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck off of Honshu, the country's meteorological agency said.
CNN's Kyung Lah, Faith Karimi and Kevin Voigt contributed to this report.
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March 12 2011 - 3:38PM PT -
CNN's reporting two "MAJOR" aftershocks. Tsunami alerts reinstated.
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March 12 2011 - 11:07PM PT -
Japan upgrades magnitude of killer earthquake to 9.0; USGS keeps number at 8.9.
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March 13 2011 - 2:52PM PT
http://ow.ly/4dvh0
Here is what I think is, thus far, the most horrifying video (no, no dead or dying people) of what the tsunami looked like, taken from someone who had time to get up to higher ground and watch the town around him get destroyed.
Just picked it up from Sean Bonner, on Twitter...
seanbonner Sean Bonner
by BadAstronomer
Seriously, this first person Tsunami video is one of the scariest things I've ever seen.
http://ow.ly/4dvh0
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[Scroll down -- if you're set with oldest to newest -- to see new photos and videos, along with updated news]
http://cbskllc.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/japan-earthquake-today-tsunami-warning.jpg?w=311&h=337First Breaking News...
MASSIVE QUAKE HITS JAPAN
Tokyo (CNN) -- An... more
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It's been quite a week for the Pacific Ring of Fire. Mount Merapi explodes in Java, and on the same day a 7.7 earthquake strikes off Sumatra. Now Krakatoa is rumbling to life, and up to 20 other volcanoes are on heightened alert. What the heck is going on?
http://talkingskull.com/article/something-happening-in-ring-of-fireIt's been quite a week for the Pacific Ring of Fire. Mount Merapi explodes in... more
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Rescue workers are preparing to evacuate victims from quake-hit areas More than 100 people have been killed and many are missing after a tsunami triggered by an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.
Scores of houses were destroyed by waves after the 7.7 magnitude quake, which struck 20km (13 miles) under the ocean floor near the Mentawai islands.
Ten villages on the islands were swept away by the tsunami, a disaster official told the AFP news agency.
Damage and rough weather are delaying efforts to reach the affected area.
Hendri Dori Satoko, a lawmaker in the Mentawai islands, told Metro TV: "Our latest data from crisis centre showed that 108 people have been killed and 502 are still missing."
He said some of the missing could have fled to higher ground and were afraid to return to their homes.
Health ministry officials said 113 bodies had been recovered in the area so far, the Associated Press news agency reported.
The search and rescue operation is being seriously hampered by bad weather, officials have told the BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Jakarta.
Heavy rain is preventing helicopters from accessing the area and boats cannot reach the islands either because the dock on the island of South Pagai has been destroyed.
Poor communications have also made it hard for officials to gain accurate information, our correspondent adds.
The disaster comes as thousands of people are being evacuated from the area around the Mt Merapi volcano in central Java, after it began erupting.
But seismologists say there is very little chance that the two events are connected.
Body bags
The quake hit late on Monday off the west coast of Sumatra. There is no tsunami warning system in place around the Mentawai islands, but the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued an alert of a local tsunami.
It later said a "significant tsunami" had been generated. The alert has now been cancelled as no further waves are expected although the area is still experiencing strong aftershocks.
Eyewitnesses say a huge wave was created by the quake, which seriously damaged villages or even washed them away entirely.
The islands of South Pagai and North Pagai were reported to be particularly badly affected.
Waves reached 3m (10ft) high and the water swept inland as far as 600m on South Pagai island, said Mudjiharto - the head of Indonesia's health ministry crisis centre, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name.
He said 200 body bags were being sent to the region in case they were needed.
"Ten villages have been swept away by the tsunami," National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Agolo Suparto told AFP.
Most buildings in the South Pagai coastal village of Betu Monga were destroyed, Hardimansyah, an official with the regional branch of the Department of Fisheries, told the Reuters news agency by phone.
"Of the 200 people living in that village, only 40 have been found - 160 are still missing, mostly women and children," he said.
"We have people reporting to the security post here that they could not hold on to their children, that they were swept away. A lot of people are crying."
cont.Rescue workers are preparing to evacuate victims from quake-hit areas More than 100... more
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"MANILA, Philippines – Authorities moved thousands of villagers from harm's way near the Philippines' most active volcano Tuesday after it oozed lava and shot plumes of ash, and said they probably will spend a bleak Christmas in an evacuation center.
State volcanologists raised the alert level on the cone-shaped, 8,070-foot (2,460-meter) Mayon volcano overnight to two steps below eruption after ash explosions and dark orange lava fragments glowing in the dark trickled down the mountain slope.
Nearly 50,000 people live in a five-mile (eight-kilometer) radius around the mountain, and authorities began moving thousands of them in case it erupts, Albay provincial Gov. Joey Salceda said.
The first of 20 vehicles, including army trucks, were sent to villages to take residents to schools and other temporary housing, provincial emergency management official Jukes Nunez said."
Read more in the full article below:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091215/ap_on_re_as/as_philippines_volcano"MANILA, Philippines – Authorities moved thousands of villagers from... more
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BBC was inspired by the recent spate of natural disasters to befall Indonesia AGAIN, and interviewed my friend, Geologist Chris Rowan. In this interview, Chris explains to the BBC interviewer why scientists cannot predict earthquakes nor (to a lesser extent) tsunamis.BBC was inspired by the recent spate of natural disasters to befall Indonesia AGAIN,... more
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A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake last week has moved the south of New Zealand closer to Australia, scientists said Wednesday.
With the countries separated by the 2,250-kilometre-wide (1,400-mile-wide) Tasman Sea, the 30 centimetre (12 inch) closing of the gap in New Zealand's southwest won't make much difference.
But earthquake scientist Ken Gledhill of GNS Science said the shift illustrated the huge force of the tremor, the biggest in the world so far this year.
"Basically, New Zealand just got a little bit bigger is another way to think about it," he told AFP.
While the southwest of the South Island moved about 30 centimetres closer to Australia, the east coast of the island moved only one centimetre westwards, he said.
The biggest quake in New Zealand in 78 years caused only slight damage to buildings and property when it struck the remote southwest Fiordland region of the South Island last Thursday.
A small tsunami was generated by the earthquake, with a tide gauge on the West Coast of New Zealand recording a wave of one metre.
"For a very large earthquake, although it was very widely felt, there were very few areas that were severely shaken," Gledhill said.
Aerial inspection of the forested fiords near the quake's epicentre showed few land slips or other signs of damage.
This was partly because the type of rupture at the boundaries of the Australian and Pacific plates meant the energy from the quake was largely directed westwards towards the sea rather than inland towards the nearest towns.
The type of quake, known as a subduction thrust rupture, also meant the quake produced lower frequency shaking, felt as a rolling motion, rather than sharp jolts which would have caused more damage.
New Zealand frequently suffers earthquakes because it marks the meeting point of the Australian and Pacific continental plates.
Gledhill said the latest quake may have brought forward a major quake on the offshore section of the Alpine fault, off the coast of Fiordland in the Tasman Sea.
"There could easily be another large earthquake in another part of that region. We can't predict that obviously."A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake last week has moved the south of New Zealand closer... more
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