Almost 1,000 earthquakes in five days
Partly at a size of 4.8
Swarm earthquakes in New Zealand: nearly 1,000 earthquakes in five days
Tongariro National Park in New Zealand.
© Source: Imago / Danita Delimont
Wellington A strange phenomenon in New Zealand: in the center of the North Island, the earth shook nearly 1,000 times in the past few days. Experts warned that the series of tremors, some of which reached a level of 4.8 degrees, could continue for weeks. According to national seismic monitoring station Geonet, the ground shook 922 times from last Saturday to Wednesday morning (local time) near the town of Kawerau in the Bay of Plenty region.
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With this accumulation, experts speak of an earthquake swarm or swarm. “We expect an overall decrease in the frequency of these earthquakes in the near future, but we can’t be sure of that,” said seismologist John Restau.
There were already mass earthquakes in Kaweru district in 2018 and 2019, but with less severe earthquakes. “Our experts believe that this swarm is caused by active fault movement and has nothing to do with volcanic disturbances or geothermal activity,” Restau noted.
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Mayor Filin Tonoy said some hiking trails in the area were closed due to falling rocks and landslides. However, no major damage has occurred yet.
RND / dpa
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