Magnitude 7.8 - OFF WEST COAST OF THE SOUTH ISLAND, N.Z.

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Magnitude 7.8 - OFF WEST COAST OF THE SOUTH ISLAND, N.Z.

2009 July 15 09:22:32 UTC

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Earthquake Details

Magnitude	7.8
Date-Time	Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 09:22:32 UTC Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 08:22:32 PM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location	45.721°S, 166.643°E
Depth	35 km (21.7 miles) set by location program
Region	OFF WEST COAST OF THE SOUTH ISLAND, N.Z.
Distances	150 km (95 miles) WNW of Invercargill, New Zealand 175 km (110 miles) WSW of Queenstown, New Zealand 300 km (185 miles) W of Dunedin, New Zealand 825 km (510 miles) SW of WELLINGTON, New Zealand
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 11.1 km (6.9 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters	NST= 44, Nph= 44, Dmin=322.8 km, Rmss=1.58 sec, Gp= 54°, M-type=teleseismic moment magnitude (Mw), Version=7
Source	USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID	us2009jcap

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URL: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2009jcap.php
Page Contact Information: EHP Web Team
Page Last Modified: July 15, 2009 11:48:56 UTC

[null and void]

California?

[wastedyears]

Liberals are rockin’ it alright.

[katana]

I know from traveling to New Zealand a number of times that the North Island is still highly active volcanically and the South Island is not, but the whole country sits astride one branch of the Ring of Fire.

How common is this sort of quake activity so far south? I have friends and a distributor based in little old Oamaru and expect that town would not do well in a tsunami situation.

PS: IMHO, NZ is still, acre for acre, the most beautiful spot on Planet Earth.

[DieHard the Hunter]

Your recollection of our geography and geology is exactly right. And our volcanology, for that matter!

> How common is this sort of quake activity so far south? I have friends and a distributor based in little old Oamaru and expect that town would not do well in a tsunami situation.

Earth quakes happen all the time in that part of New Zealand. The Southern Alps run down the back of South Island like a spine, right on either side of the fault line. They were created by two plates ramming into each other.

Oamaru is a beautiful little town on the east coast (safely over on the other side), before you get to Dunedin. It’s probably hi enough up that it wouldn’t get too badly done by a Tsunami (of course, that’s a relative term I realize).

> PS: IMHO, NZ is still, acre for acre, the most beautiful spot on Planet Earth.

Thanks for that.

You know, I’d have to agree with you. I was born and raised in Vancouver, which is also a lovely spot, but New Zealand is definitely home.

[Joya]

Thanks.

Quix ping.

[Quix]

Thanks.

[Tennessee Nana]

Oamaru is near Timaru about halfway between Christchurch and Dunedin/Invercargill on the east coast..

There;s an old volcano up in Christchurch..

The West Coast has the most earthquakes...

The Nelso and West Coast provinces..

But Oamaru, Timaru, Whaipicarou...

[Peter Horry]

Here is an update of the earthquake http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10584761 , including reader experiences of the earthquake.

[null and void]

Thanks!

[shaggy eel]

,,, didn’t feel a thing. Apparently NZL has shifted about 12”. The best shift though was the one in our last elections.

[null and void]

Admit it, you miss Helen...

[shaggy eel]

,,, not enough to travel to New York to see her - she’s yours now!