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A major earthquake measuring 6.6 struck the South Island's Fiordland region - Source: ONE News -
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Shopkeepers and other property owners in Fiordland, including the tourist centre of Te Anau, are on Thursday checking for damage from Wednesday night's big eathquake and aftershocks on the coast near Milford Sound.
Southland regional council staff, in co-operation with other agencies, are organising flights to check for landslides in Fiordland.
And the region's roading network, particularly main highways and bridges, and remote DOC huts will also be checked as a precaution.
The 7.8 magnitude quake was felt widely throughout the South Island and as far north as Taranaki, but no major damage was reported on Wednesday night, though there were some temporary power outages in the south.
GNS Science geologist Bill Fry said that in the first hour alone 700 or 800 reports were filed on the Geonet website by people who felt it.
But he said scientists worked into the night to gather enough details on the site of the quakes to be able to assess any continuing risks to people or property.
"The shallower an earthquake is, the more shaking there's going to be - and this was quite shallow," he said.
The initial quake, at 9.22 pm, 100km northwest of Tuatapere, triggered an alert from the Pacific tsunami warning centre in Hawaii.
But the prediction was for only a small surge of water, about 17cm high, and the tsunami warning was cancelled after its size was confirmed on arrival at Bluff at about 10.30pm.
GNS Science upgraded its reading on Wednesday night for the quake to 7.8 magnitude, bringing it into line with international readings.
An aftershock measuring 6.1 hit 19 minutes later, 150km west of Tuatapere.
Then at 1.50am on Thursday another tremor of 5.9 struck 120km northwest of Tuatapere at a depth 0f 5km. GNS Science initially rated the first quake as 6.6, contrasting with an estimate of 7.8 by Japanese scientists, and United States Geological Survey, but later upgraded it.
An Invercargill man said the initial quake lasted at east a minute.
"Things just started to rattle a bit, then the house started to sway."
He and his wife got their three young children out of bed and huddled under the dining table to wait it out.
Cracks had appeared around several door frames, he said.
Central Southland man Warren MacPherson said a hanging light in his house would have been swaying "a good six inches each way".
He was on the phone when the quake struck and rushed outside.
"By geez, there was a fair bit of movement," he said.
Invercargill police Inspector Olaf Jensen said the quake was significant enough to send staff into doorways.
He described it was a strong, rolling quake rather than a sharp jolt.
The controller of Southland's civil defence emergency management group, Neil Cruickshank activated the region's emergency operations centre to assess damage reports and said the region had bveen given "a good shake" .
"Phone services were down in east Invercargill and power was out for some time in the suburb of Otatara because of the earthquake," he said.
Southland District Council said there were no reports of substantial damage in the Milford and Te Anau areas.
More than 14,000 earthquakes are recorded in New Zealand annually, but only about 20 are stronger than 5 on the Richter scale.
The Inangahua earthquake on the West Coast in 1968 measured 7.1 on the Richter scale and killed three people.
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Add a Comment:
Post new commentemmskin said on 2009-07-18 @ 14:27 NZDT: Report abusive post
i live in franz Josef. I was sitting watching a movie eating my dinner when the house started swaying, it was insane, the entire house was moving slowly side to side. Im terrofied of earthquakes, but googled what actually happens and why they occur and why we a due for a big one, i now understand and im not scared at all! i do beleive now its just waiting game as that earthquake just put more stress on the rocks and it going to ping back any day now
kirstinj said on 2009-07-16 @ 18:29 NZDT: Report abusive post
I was wondering if anyone else felt a couple of quakes at about 2am on the 15th July, the night before the big one??? The first one woke me up, and not long after I felt another. I am in east otago.
brendono said on 2009-07-16 @ 17:44 NZDT: Report abusive post
Christchurch. I didn't feel it at all, but I did watch our baby's hammoch swaying around at the time of the quake considerably more than a 16 day old baby could sway it. It was bizare seeing it until I found out the probable explanantion later.
georgieee said on 2009-07-16 @ 13:56 NZDT: Report abusive post
Its such an un-natural feeling, the house shook so violently. Live in wanaka so we were quite close to it haha our dog slept through most of it, but i still dont like them one bit
Jesska said on 2009-07-16 @ 11:27 NZDT: Report abusive post
Wow, that really freaked me out about the tsunami warning, i felt the earthquake but didnt think anything of it, thought i was tired and just kinda swaying myself but then my mum came in and said "look at the blinds-theyre moving...did you feel the earthquake?" then i freaked out.!