Wild Land

A major earthquake struck in the Southern Ocean to the south of New Zealand at 6:24 this evening. Preliminary data from the US Geological Survey and NOAA’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre indicate the earthquake was magnitude 7.3 or 7.4 at a depth of about 20 km.

The quake was located 205 km north-west of the Auckland Islands, 475 km south-west of Invercargill. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a bulletin at 6:38 p.m. Sunday 30th September 2007 indicating a widespread tsunami threat did not exist.

Early indications are that the quake was felt in some South Island areas, including Invercargill, Dunedin, Milton, Otautau, Clinton, and on Stewart Island.

[Compiled from data supplied by the US Geological Survey and its contributing agencies, and the U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.]

Another volcanic earthquake at Mt. Ruapehu overnight followed a few hours later by an earthquake near Matata in the Bay of Plenty again raises the question of a link between the two events.

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After another pause, earthquake activity in the Loyalty Islands area of New Caledonia continued overnight, adding 7 more earthquakes (two of magnitude 6.0) to the list.

In the 24 hours following the commencement of activity at 7:58 a.m. New Zealand time on Friday 28th September 2007, 23 earthquakes have been recorded in the area. The list includes two 4th magnitude events, sixteen 5th magnitude events and five earthquakes of magnitude 6.

Activity ceased again at 4:02 this morning, September 29th, a few hours after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck far to the north in the Mariana Islands.

[Compiled from data supplied by the US Geological Survey and its contributing agencies.]

The burst of earthquake activity that commenced near New Caledonia’s Loyalty Islands this morning has continued, with two larger events occurring in a series of 16 earthquakes.

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A burst of earthquake activity has followed the strong earthquake which struck near the Loyalty Islands northeast of Noumea, New Caledonia just before 8 o’clock this morning.

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The magnitude of last evening’s earthquake in the southern Kermadec Islands has been revised upwards, and information on a subsequent event has been posted.

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A moderately strong, deep earthquake struck the southern Kermadec Islands at 5:16 this evening. The magnitude 5.3 quake was located 130 km west-north-west of L’Esperance Rock (285 km south-west of Raoul Island) at a depth of 397 km.

The quake follows a pair of shallower 5th magnitude events in the Santa Cruz Islands and near Vanuatu last night. The magnitude 5.0 Vanuatu quake struck at 9:34 p.m. on the 24th of September 2007 New Zealand time, 80 km east-north-east of Luganville, Espiritu Santo at a depth of 10 km. A few hours later, a magnitude 5.2 quake struck at 11:55 p.m. New Zealand time, 125 km south-south-east of Lata in the Santa Cruz Islands at a depth of 54 km.

[Compiled from data supplied by the US Geological Survey and its contributing agencies.]

The Marsden Fund has allocated $1½ million to fund two studies into New Zealand’s Alpine Fault. One project will focus on the history of Alpine Fault earthquakes, the other will study the fault’s structure.

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Many parts of Indonesia have experienced a number of strong earthquakes located off the coast of Sumatra. The quakes represent a rupture of the boundary between the Australian and Sunda tectonic plates, and are occurring at two locations either side of the city of Bengkulu on Sumatra.

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A major earthquake struck off the south-western coast of Sumatra at 11:10 p.m. last night, New Zealand time.

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