‘It looks like a huge truck’: 5.8 magnitude earthquake hits North Island

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GeoNet

The M5.8 earthquake struck at 11.49 pm, with its epicenter about 25 km east of Stratford.

More than 38,000 people reported feeling a 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit the North Island Wednesday night.

The earthquake occurred at 11.49 pm, with its epicenter about 25 km east of Stratford at a depth of 187 km.

GeoNet was flooded by earthquake reports as it happened, with tens of thousands of people reporting feeling it within 15 minutes.

The earthquake is classified as light, and the vast majority of GeoNet reports reflect this, classifying it as light or weak.

Read more: *Unusual number of cluster earthquakes under Ruapehu’s summit, but no change in alert level, scientists say *Ocean floor display to give clearer picture of subduction zone earthquakes

In an online statement, GenoNet said: “These deep earthquakes are usually widely felt, due to the tectonic plate sloping under the North Island. Most of the earthquake’s energy is transmitted up and along the plate to the surface closer to the east coast.”

“Wonderful. It looks like [a] Huge truck roar. The shake itself wasn’t bad. Just roar,” Carol Kehley told Stuff after the earthquake.

“I felt a short, sharp tremor in Kaikoura as our apartment shook a lot,” Suzy said.

Meanwhile, an unusual number of cluster earthquakes have been recorded under Ruapheu’s summit since December, but the volcano’s alert level has not been affected.

GeoNet has recorded at least 30 distinct tectonic earthquakes located below the summit region from December 30.

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