Archive for December, 2007

New Year Musings

Sunday, December 30th, 2007

It was interesting to poke around the Wild Land website the other day to see how the content has evolved over the last couple of years. The writing style is still largely the same, but the content has altered. There is less “parish pump” content being used on quiet days and the historical stories have become more focussed.

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Quakes Near Lake Taupo

Saturday, December 29th, 2007

Another moderately strong deep earthquake has struck near Lake Taupo.

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Earthquake, Lake Taupo

Friday, December 28th, 2007

Last night’s earthquake on the southern shore of Lake Taupo was felt throughout the lower North Island.

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Conservation of Energy

Thursday, December 27th, 2007

Conservation of energy is a phrase that rolls off the tongue so easily in these days of rising fuel prices, talk of Global Warming and Peak Oil, and campaigns to use energy-saving lightbulbs. But the phrase means different things to different people.

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Christmas Storm 1933

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007

A fierce southerly storm sent Christmas campers scuttling for cover in 1933 as it chased them with waterspouts, shredded their tents, stripped fruit from trees, played amongst power and telegraph lines and deposited snow on North Island mountains.

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Gisborne Back On Its Feet

Sunday, December 23rd, 2007

Following the shock of the magnitude 6.8 earthquake near Gisborne on Thursday night, local authorities and the community have worked together to get the city back on its feet.

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Gisborne Earthquakes

Saturday, December 22nd, 2007

Gisborne residents felt the strongest aftershock since Thursday’s strong earthquake this morning.

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Strong Earthquake, Gisborne

Friday, December 21st, 2007

A strong earthquake struck off the coast near Gisborne on the East Coast of New Zealand’s North Island last evening. There are some injuries, but no fatalities have been reported. Three buildings have collapsed but fires were quickly brought under control and damage to infrastructure such as roads, water and gas mains is reported.

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Hydro Lakes in Serious Decline

Wednesday, December 19th, 2007

Hydro lake storage declined to low levels during November 2007, ending the month lower than levels recorded at the same time in 2004, 2006 and the crisis year 1992.

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The Northland Earthquakes of 1963

Sunday, December 16th, 2007

The complacency of Northland residents was shaken by two earthquakes in six weeks at the end of 1963. Until the severe quake of December 23rd it was widely believed that Northland was one area of New Zealand that was free of local earth tremors.

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Increased Quake Activity in the Kermadecs

Saturday, December 15th, 2007

Earthquake activity in the Kermadec Islands increased during the latter part of the week.

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White Island Earthquakes

Saturday, December 15th, 2007

Dozens of small-to-moderate sized earthquakes which have struck near White Island volcano since late November seem to have caused only minor changes to the hydrothermal system on the island.

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Matata Swarms Enter New Phase

Friday, December 14th, 2007

GeoNet has published a brief report on the earthquake swarms at Matata, and advise that the sequence of quakes has entered a third phase of activity.

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Kermadec Quake Sixth Largest

Thursday, December 13th, 2007

Sunday’s magnitude 7.8 earthquake in the northern Kermadec Islands was the sixth largest quake worldwide so far this year.

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Earthquakes, Upper West South Island

Wednesday, December 12th, 2007

A pair of shallow 4th magnitude earthquakes struck the Kahurangi National Park in the upper South Island this morning, waking several residents.

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