Current earthquake in New Zealand: A strong earthquake shakes the South Island

A strong earthquake struck New Zealand on Wednesday morning (local time).

Where exactly did the earthquake occur?

The tremors occurred shortly after nine in the morning (local time) and were mainly felt by residents of the town of Geraldine on the South Island, located about 130 kilometers south of Christchurch.

How strong is the earthquake?

National earthquake monitoring company GeoNet said the earthquake measured 6.0 and occurred at a shallow depth of about 10 kilometers. The US Seismological Survey (USGS) estimated the magnitude of the earthquake at 5.6.

So far, the quake appears to have had a moderate outcome: “We have not received any reports of damage yet,” Civil Protection wrote on X (formerly Twitter). No tsunami warning was issued either.

Where and how often does the ground shake in our area?

Many deaths and severe damage resulting from the 2011 earthquake

In 2011, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake caused severe damage in the same area. At that time, 195 people had died in the South Pacific island nation.

(With material from EPA)