A 4.8-magnitude earthquake near Te Aroha hits the North Island

[ad_1]

Thousands of people in central North Island reported feeling the 4.8-magnitude earthquake. Photo: Geonet

As parts of the Upper North Island slowly emerge from their days of flooding, the region is once again destabilized – this time by an earthquake.

More than 11,000 people reported feeling the 4.8-magnitude earthquake after 2 am.

It was centered five kilometers south of Te Aroha, six kilometers deep.

People from Kaitaia to the wetlands of Auckland, the Bay of Plenty, the Coromandel – and even down in Christchurch – have woken up.

A series of weaker aftershocks began to strike 40 minutes later. There are no reports of damages yet.

“The funny thing is, I was already awake by the time it hit,” Te Kwete resident Xan Burdette told RNZ. Te Kuiti is about 100 km from Te Aroha.

It arrived in one fell swoop, he said, making his house creak.

We are thinking of those currently dealing with rain, landslides and flooding who woke up to an earthquake this morning. A shallow M4.8 earthquake with strong shaking occurred 5km south of Te Aroha and was felt across Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty https://t.co/ buzqrG4xUk #eqnz pic.twitter.com/WJwNExi1Hb

— GeoNet (@geonet) February 2, 2023

It was also a turbulent night for Case Meenderts of Motomahoe, just south of Morrisville and about 25 kilometers from the epicenter.

“I’ve had so many experiences with earthquakes in my life now, and I haven’t even gone to bed yet—I was sitting on the edge of the bed—and all of a sudden I thought, ‘Eh, what’s going on over there?'” “

“Lots of noise. I didn’t think there was an earthquake right away – I thought it was a big truck or something. Big shake, lots of noise, and then a rumble. I was sitting on the bed like it was a bit of a rocking horse.”

It lasted much longer than the 5.1-magnitude quake that hit the area on Jan. 4, Meendertz said.

This earthquake coincides with the 92nd anniversary of the devastating Napier earthquake, which killed 256 people.

Geonet earthquake service officer Libby Abbott said the quake would have been a “gross” experience after a week of heavy rain and flooding.

“Six kilometers is quite shallow. It’s very close to Te Aroha, so the shaking near the epicenter would be very strong for those nearby.”

She said more aftershocks should be expected. The area is located in the Hauraki Rift Zone, which extends from southern Waikato, east of Potaroro and Tokoroa, through Te Aroha and along the western coast of the Coromandel Peninsula.

“Earthquakes are not unusual in New Zealand, we know, and in any part of the country people should be prepared,” Abbott said.

Fortunately, the Hauraki fault is not as active as some of the other fault lines in Aotearoa, which sits at the edge of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates.

The Abbot said she wouldn’t expect any great harm from Friday morning’s rumble.

[ad_2]