The shallow earth tremors being recorded near Mt Ngauruhoe continue at a rate of 10-20 per day, according to GNS Science.
Archive for July, 2006
Ngauruhoe Volcano – Tremors Continue
Monday, July 31st, 2006The 1886 Tarawera Eruption – Precursors
Sunday, July 30th, 2006The 120th anniversary of the eruption of Mt Tarawera on the 10th June 1886 was widely remembered earlier this year.
Vulcanology was poorly understood at the time, so it’s not surprising that a series of events which had occurred 5 years earlier were not fully appreciated, despite being widely reported in the nation’s newspapers during 1881.
Gisborne TMX – Part 3
Saturday, July 29th, 2006Maintaining the manual toll boards of the 1970s was moderately labour-intensive. Installation obviously involved considerable labour, as circuits were hard-wired to modules which were repeated at regular intervals around the board. However, once installed, the various components were highly reliable considering the mechanical forces involved in day-to-day operation.
Southern Wairarapa Dries Out
Tuesday, July 25th, 2006After several weeks of steady rain and a serious flood event, the southern Wairarapa area is still drying out.
A Flicker from the Past
Sunday, July 23rd, 2006Did your lights give you that sickening lurch that hints at a plunge into darkness at about 10:35 last night?
Deep Earthquake, Central New Zealand
Sunday, July 23rd, 2006A deep earthquake near Golden Bay was felt throughout the lower North Island and upper South Island early this afternoon, according to data supplied by Geonet.
Gisborne TMX – Part 2
Saturday, July 22nd, 2006Gisborne telephone subscribers dialling “0” in the late 1970s were often struck by how bright and crisp the ringing tone sounded when compared with the sound heard when calling friends or neighbours.
Shivers!
Friday, July 21st, 2006Wellingtonians are shivering under yet another southerly blast today. July 2006 looks set to make additions to the weather record books, with the regional council announcing that new July rainfall records may be set in both Wairarapa and Wellington.
In Tawa, the first twenty days of July have been wetter and colder than the entire month last year.
Gisborne TMX – Part 1
Thursday, July 20th, 2006The Gisborne TMX (Toll Manual Exchange) was located on the first floor of the “new” exchange building in Read’s Quay when I worked there in the late 1970s.
In keeping with the ‘design for expansion’ philosophy of the time, the “toll room” (as we called it) was a huge well-lit room with Post Office standard linoleum flooring. Entering through the double doors near the top of the stairs, a visitor walked past the Toll Manager’s office and across an expanse of floor with the ubiquitous metal lockers to the left, past a few well-tended pot plants to the toll board and supervisors’ desks. On the right, near the supervisor’s desks were the standard time-book desks where staff signed in and out as they carried out their shifts.
Geological Summary for New Zealand Area, June 2006
Wednesday, July 19th, 2006Earthquake activity continues at a low level. Mt Ruapehu, White Island, Raoul Island continue at Alert Level 1. Change at Mt Ngauruhoe.
Geonet, the USGS (NEIC) and IGNS reported 33 earthquakes in the New Zealand area between the Kermadec Islands in the north, and the Auckland Islands to the south during June 2006. The magnitude distributions were as follows:
M6 to 6.9 (none), M5 to 5.9 (2), M4 to 4.9 (17) M3 to 3.9 (11).
An additional 3 events in the magnitude 2 range were deemed worthy of mention.
June 2006 Colder, Wetter
Monday, July 17th, 2006Tawa’s climate during June 2006 was colder and wetter than the same month in the previous three years.
Hydro Lake Storage Still Below Average
Saturday, July 15th, 2006Weekly inflows to New Zealand’s hydro storage lakes were erratic during June, being below average during week 1, above average for weeks 2 and 3, and below average during the last week of June. This trend continued into July, with inflows being 82% of average in the week ending July 7th.
Despite this, lake inflows remained above those for the dry years 1992 and 2004.
Four NZ Earthquakes
Sunday, July 9th, 2006Four earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.5 and 5.8 struck various parts of New Zealand in the 11 hours to 10 a.m.
Raoul Volcano – Continued Activity
Thursday, July 6th, 2006Hydrothermal activity at Raoul Island has continued, but at a low level, since the March eruption according to a media release from GNS Science.
Island Watch: Earthquakes Near Fiji, Tonga, Kermadecs
Wednesday, July 5th, 2006Earthquake activity near Fiji and Tonga has continued at moderate levels since the magnitude 6.0 event of June 27th.