NZ QUAKES 7.0 AFTER SHK 5.5 CAN'T FIND NEWS [VANITY--TEMP--PLSE DELETE IN BEFORE 12:00 PDT]

USGS ^ | 21 AUG 2003 | QUIX

[ZGuy]

NZ earthquake felt in Sydney

A MASSIVE earthquake which jolted New Zealand's South Island has been felt in Sydney with a high-rise hotel near the airport experiencing mild tremors. Geoscience Australia seismologist Dr Mark Leonard said the 7.5 Richter scale quake occurred off the southwest tip of the South Island, 100km from Queenstown in the Milford Sound region at around 10.10pm (AEST) yesterday.

While half of Geoscience's measuring instruments in Australia went off the scale when the quake hit, it was also felt by guests at the Hilton Hotel near Sydney airport.

A hotel spokeswoman said the tremors were felt in the upper floors of the building but did not cause any major problems with guests.

"It was nothing that caused any problems for us here, and I didn't even feel them on the ground floor," she said. Dr Leonard said it wasn't unusual that a quake of such magnitude would be felt from such a long distance.

"Three or four times a year someone in a high rise building will feel the long swaying feeling of an overseas earthquake."

"For earthquakes of this size it is not uncommon to feel it at such great distances," Dr Leonard said.

It was the largest quake to hit New Zealand's South Island since 1929 and was felt as far south as Invercargill, where one woman said the shaking lasted about three minutes.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

"This is a globally significant earthquake - we would only expect two to three earthquakes of this magnitude to occur around the world each year," Dr Leonard said.

[DannyTN]

That's what happens when you tax cow farts. Major Gas build up.

[1Old Pro]

RELATED ????

Earthquake felt in Yellowstone National Park

[tbpiper]

God's little nudge at NZ for allowing R. Fisk to live....there.

[b4its2late]

7.0 WOW. Bigun.

[shaggy eel]

,,, good morning from Wellington, New Zealand.

Firstly, y'all know more about the quake than I do. It's 8,42am Friday here and the quake hit around 12,15am. My radio alarm clock wakes me each morning at 5,00. This morning, the first I knew was from the report on the radio. I understand some people in Aussie felt it. I live on the Kapiti Coast, 50km/30 miles north of Wellington City and I slept as soundly as usual.

Secondly, thanx to all who have asked if I'm OK, by FReeMAIL and on this thread - I've quickly glanced over it and I'll start at the top now and read thru it.

[shaggy eel]

,,, you're joking? Robert Fisk is going to live in NZ?!!! Why don't you take him? He can keep Peter Arnett company.

[zygoat]

Having never experienced the personal terror that the victims of one of these disasters must feel, I can't begin to imagine it. The tsunami sometimes generated by these events present an equally disturbing scenario.

[KiaKaha]

Did I sleep through it?

[shaggy eel]

,,, we must have both slept the sleep of diligent, overstretched taxpayers. Let's see if we were the only two. I'll ping a few locals.

[patriciaruth]

Greetings, fellow jelloland, from California!

[tbpiper]

you're joking

no, just confused. suffering from delayed intelligence syndrome. realized my mistake right after hitting the [post] button.

[shaggy eel]

,,, living on the edge? No, just the faultline! [LOL]

[cmsgop]

Glad you are well.

[shaggy eel]

no, just confused. suffering from delayed intelligence syndrome.

,,, that's OK. I can cope with earthquakes. One more socialist is one too many.

[shaggy eel]

,,, many thanx! I'm glad it's Friday. Hope you're enjoying summer.

[Neophyte]

Slept more than well today. But...

Yesterday a collegue of mine from Auckland called me shortly after midnight (the bloody b***d!) and I told him to wait a minute 'cause I felt the floor trembling under my feet and thought we had an earthquake here in Wellington....

Now, it could be a real minor pre-shock, heralding the coming of the big one... or my imagination... or not the floor but my legs being unsteady because of a variety of causes... or mine being a sort of clairvoyant... you choose!

[shaggy eel]

... you choose!

,,, I will. The $NZ5,6b fiscal surplus was being trucked out to be redistributed to selected demographics. You slept well, but this morning neither of us are richer.

[Neophyte]

The $NZ5,6b fiscal surplus was being trucked out

Surely, they loaded the whole dough in $2 coins... what else could they have taken away from the folks like you and me? That does explain the trembling impact.

[Quix]

Uhhhhh

Robert Fisk?

Forget who he is/was.