New Zealand Tsunami Warning Dropped After Magnitude-7.8 Quake
Posted by
JAC on 7/15/2009, 8:59 am
By Heather Langan
July 16 (Bloomberg) -- New Zealand was spared a destructive tsunami after a magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck off its South Island, the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
A tsunami warning issued by the center was in effect for about 2 1/2 hours after the quake hit at 9:22 p.m. New Zealand time yesterday, with the residents of Auckland and Wellington advised of a possible threat, according to e-mailed alerts. No other countries in the Pacific were affected. The quake was followed by a magnitude-5.8 aftershock 19 minutes later.
Sea-level readings indicated a tsunami had been generated by the temblor, the center said, though there was no report of any impact. At Jackson Bay, the sea had risen 0.17 meter (6.7 inches) above normal, the agency said. The coastal area near the epicenter is sparsely populated and includes Fiordland National Park.
"When no major waves are observed for two hours after the estimated time of arrival or damaging waves have not occurred for at least two hours then local authorities can assume the threat is passed," the center said. "Danger to boats and coastal structures can continue for several hours due to rapid currents."
The temblor struck 150 kilometers (95 miles) west-northwest of Invercargill on the South Island, at a depth of 35 kilometers, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The earthquake shook buildings as far away as Christchurch, the biggest city on the South Island and 532 kilometers to the northeast of the epicenter.
Power Lines
The quake brought down some power lines in Invercargill, local police inspector Olaf Jensen said by telephone. He said he didn't have any reports of serious damage and couldn't confirm an NZ Radio report of cracked buildings in Tuatapere, the closest town to the epicenter. Police don't expect to get a better sense of damage until daylight, Jensen said.
Meridian Energy Ltd.'s Manapouri Power Station near the epicenter was operating normally after the earthquake, company spokeswoman Claire Shaw said by telephone. Staff members were making checks of the station for damage, she said.
There was no immediate information on Rio Tinto Plc's Tiwai Point aluminum-smelting plant on New Zealand's Tiwai peninsula, the company's London-based spokesman, Nick Cobban, said in a telephone interview.
To contact the reporter on this story: Heather Langan at hlangan(at)bloomberg.net.
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In this thread:
Huge 7.8 Quake off New Zealand -
JAC,
7/15/2009, 6:35 am- South Island 12 inches Closer to Aussie now... - Anung Mwka, 7/22/2009, 6:30 pm
- Re: Huge 7.8 Quake off New Zealand - Chris in Tampa, 7/15/2009, 5:01 pm
- New Zealand Tsunami Warning Dropped After Magnitude-7.8 Quake - JAC, 7/15/2009, 8:59 am
- Seismographs all over the world went nuts - here's Albuquerque, New Mexico - JAC, 7/15/2009, 7:27 am
- Earthquake shakes South Island - JAC, 7/15/2009, 6:56 am
- DARTS are picking up the Tsunami - JAC, 7/15/2009, 6:53 am
- New Zealand Tsunami Warning Points - JAC, 7/15/2009, 6:51 am
- Tsunami Advisory for HI - JAC, 7/15/2009, 6:48 am
- Tsunami Warning SE Australia - JAC, 7/15/2009, 6:45 am
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