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One of the strongest earthquakes to hit the South Pacific in modern history triggered tsunami warnings across the ocean and forced thousands of people in New Zealand to evacuate coastal areas Friday. Small tsunami waves were seen, but little damage was apparent hours later.
The magnitude 8.1 quake in the Kermadec Islands region about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from New Zealands two main islands was the largest in a series of temblors over several hours, including two earlier quakes that registered magnitude 7.4 and magnitude 7.3.
The tsunami threat caused traffic jams and some chaos in New Zealand as people scrambled to get to higher ground.
Residents recorded videos of small wave surges in some places, including at Tokomaru Bay near Gisborne. In the afternoon, the National Emergency Management Agency said the threat had passed and people could return to their homes, although they should continue avoiding beaches.
One of the earlier quakes hit much closer to New Zealand and awoke many people as they felt a long, rumbling shaking. Hope everyone is ok out there, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern wrote on Facebook during the night.
After the largest quake, civil defence authorities in New Zealand told people in some coastal areas to immediately get to higher ground. They said a damaging tsunami was possible, and waves could reach up to 3 metres (10 feet).
Emergency Management Minister Kiri Allan told reporters that people had followed the advisory.
They felt the long or strong earthquakes and they knew to grab their bag and head into the highlands, she said. I can only thank and acknowledge the tireless efforts of the men and women from up and down the coast who knew how to act, when to act, and what to do.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center cautioned the quake could cause tsunami waves of up to 3 metres (10 feet) in Vanuatu and up to 1 metre (3 feet) in Tonga, other South Pacific islands and Latin Americas Pacific coast.
Chilean authorities ordered people off beaches due to the potential for a tsunami along the nations long coastline. Guatemala issued a tsunami alert, and authorities in El Salvador ordered people to take precautions in recreational activities. Mexico said there was no threat.
Waves of 30 centimetres (1 foot) above tide levels were measured by ocean gauges off the Pacific nation of Vanuatu, off Gisborne, New Zealand, and off an Australian island. Smaller waves were measured elsewhere in the South Pacific.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the strongest quake was centred near the Kermadec Islands at a depth of 19 kilometres (12 miles).
Although the islands are uninhabited, New Zealand has built research and accommodation facilities there and often had scientists cycling through until the coronavirus hit last year and it halted the program. But a large group of more than 100 people including scientists and students was due to stay on the islands this week, until they were forced to cancel because of a virus lockdown in Auckland, said a spokesperson from the Department of Conservation.
The USGS said in a report that the quake occurred at the intersection of the Pacific and Australia tectonic plates and eclipsed the largest quake previously recorded along the fault line, a magnitude 8.0 in 1976.
It said the interaction between the plates creates one of the most seismically active regions in the world, and it has recorded 215 quakes there above magnitude 6.0 over the past century.
Jennifer Eccles, an earthquake expert at the University of Auckland, said the quake was at the top end of the scale for those involving only the Earths ocean crust.
This is about as big as it gets, she said.
She said most quakes larger than magnitude 8.0 tend to occur when a section of more robust continental crust is involved.
The USGS said the magnitude 7.4 quake was likely a foreshock that contributed to the larger quake but that the first quake that hit closer to New Zealand was too far away in time and distance to have directly contributed.
The first quake was centred at a depth of 21 kilometres (13 miles) under the ocean about 174 kilometres (108 miles) northeast of the city of Gisborne.
It was widely felt in New Zealand, and residents in the major cities of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch reported being shaken awake.
In 2011, a magnitude 6.3 quake hit the city of Christchurch, killing 185 people and destroying much of its downtown.
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6 am |
| -6 ℃ |
| LIGHT SNOW |
WIND: NNW 27 KM/H
GUSTING TO 46 KM/H |
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7 am |
| -6 ℃ |
| LIGHT SNOW |
WIND: NNW 27 KM/H
GUSTING TO 45 KM/H |
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8 am |
| -6 ℃ |
| LIGHT SNOW |
WIND: NNW 28 KM/H
GUSTING TO 46 KM/H |
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9 am |
| -6 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: NNW 30 KM/H
GUSTING TO 43 KM/H |
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10 am |
| -5 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: NNW 31 KM/H
GUSTING TO 41 KM/H |
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11 am |
| -4 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: NNW 30 KM/H
GUSTING TO 39 KM/H |
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12 pm |
| -2 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: NNW 30 KM/H
GUSTING TO 37 KM/H |
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1 pm |
| -2 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: NNW 29 KM/H
GUSTING TO 37 KM/H |
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TODAY |
HIGH OF -1 ℃
LOW OF -7 ℃ |
| LIGHT SNOW |
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SATURDAY |
HIGH OF 7 ℃
LOW OF -7 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
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SUNDAY |
HIGH OF 16 ℃
LOW OF 0 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
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MONDAY |
HIGH OF 8 ℃
LOW OF 2 ℃ |
| RAIN AND SNOW |
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TUESDAY |
HIGH OF 12 ℃
LOW OF 0 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
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WEDNESDAY |
HIGH OF 16 ℃
LOW OF 4 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
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THURSDAY |
HIGH OF 15 ℃
LOW OF 8 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
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FRIDAY |
HIGH OF 9 ℃
LOW OF 7 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
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SKRILLEX
SELECTA
06:52 AM |
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CIARA
BETTER THANGS
06:49 AM |
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KAAZE
WANT MY LOVE
06:43 AM |
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KESHA
ONLY LOVE CAN SAVE US NOW
06:39 AM |
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THE WEEKND
ONE OF THE GIRLS
06:35 AM |
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MARTIN IKIN
FEEL THE SAME
06:29 AM |
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VIRGINIA TO VEGAS
OVER YOU
06:26 AM |
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TRITONAL
GONNA BE ALRIGHT
06:22 AM |
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LUMIX
ELECTRIC LOVE
06:20 AM |
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PLASTIK FUNK
CANT HELP IT
06:17 AM |
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