This afternoon’s earthquake near Otane in southern Hawke’s Bay was the fifth event to strike the southern Hawke’s Bay area in the past month.
Sunday 19th July 2009
Since June 26th, residents of southern Hawke’s Bay have reported feeling small earthquakes most of which are located close to the town of Otane. Of the five reported by GeoNet, the largest event struck just after midday today, when a magnitude 4.3 quake located 20 km south-east of Otane at a depth of 50 km was felt.
The sequence began on the evening of June 26th when a 30 km-deep magnitude 3.7 quake located 10 km south of Havelock North was reported. A magnitude 3.8 quake located 30 km south-east of Otane struck on the morning of July 6th.
At 10:24 p.m. on Thursday 16th, a magnitude 3.6 quake struck 40 km south-east of Otane, and a magnitude 3.9 event was reported just after midday the following day (Friday 17th).
All of the quakes have been at depths between 25 and 50 km, located within an area 20 to 50 km south of Hastings.
[Compiled from data provided by the GeoNet project and its sponsors EQC, GNS Science and FRST.]