Earthquake swarm in New Zealand: Hundreds of tremors shake the North Island
Hundreds of tremors
An earthquake swarm shakes New Zealand
March 23, 2023, 10:32 am (updated)
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The ground shook in Kawerau, New Zealand, in 2018 and 2019. This time, the swarm quake is stronger, and experts warn of a long-lasting series of tremors. However, there has been no major damage so far.
A strange phenomenon in New Zealand: The ground in the middle of the North Island has shaken nearly 1,000 times in the past few days. Experts warned that the series of tremors, some of which reached a magnitude of 4.8, could continue for weeks.
According to the National Seismological Center Geonet, the ground shook 922 times between last Saturday and Wednesday morning near the town of Kawerau in the Bay of Plenty region. Experts talk about such an accumulation of earthquakes or a swarm of earthquakes. Seismologist John Ristau said: “We expect a general decrease in the frequency of these earthquakes during the coming period of time, but we cannot know that for certain.”
There were already mass earthquakes in the Kawerau region in 2018 and 2019, but with less powerful tremors. “Our experts believe that this swarm is due to active fault movement and has nothing to do with volcanic unrest or geothermal activity,” Ristau emphasized. City Mayor Faylin Tonoy said some hiking trails in the area were closed due to falling rocks and landslides. However, there has been no major damage so far.
(This article was first published on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.)
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