Very strong M7.2 earthquake hits off the east coast of North Island, New Zealand
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A very strong earthquake registered by GeoNet as M7.2 hit off the east coast of the North Island, New Zealand at 13:27 UTC on March 4, 2021 (02:27 LT, March 5). The agency is reporting a depth of 94 km (58 miles). USGS is reporting it as M6.9 at a depth of 10 km, EMSC as M7.3 at the same depth.
The epicenter was located 178 km (111 miles) NE of Gisborne and 228 km (142 miles) E of Whakatane, New Zealand.
There are about 200 people living within 100 km (62 miles).
8 000 people are estimated to have felt moderate shaking and 89 000 light.
Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters, hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 300 km (180 miles) of the earthquake epicenter, PTWC said.
A tsunami is a series of waves. The time between wave crests can vary from 5 minutes to an hour.
"We are assessing whether the earthquake has created a tsunami that could affect New Zealand. We will provide an update as soon as the initial assessment has been completed," New Zealand's National Emergency Management Agency said.
"Anyone near the coast who felt a LONG or STRONG quake should MOVE IMMEDIATELY to the nearest high ground, or as far inland as you can."
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are highly resistant to earthquake shaking, though some vulnerable structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are reinforced masonry and unreinforced brick with timber floor construction.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses.
Regional seismicity
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
Published in the last 24 hours
- In September 1859, a solar storm lit up the night sky so brightly that gold miners in the Rocky Mountains woke up after midnight and started cooking breakfast, convinced the aurora glowing over their camp was the sunrise Epicenter
- A patch of warm Pacific water that could become the strongest El Niño in more than 70 years sits thousands of miles from any American town, yet it is already the main reason NOAA expects a wetter winter across the South and a milder one across the North
I have said many times over the last three years that Earth’s magnetic field has entered its final phase of reversal, but nobody believed me. Now, it is becoming more evident. The Earth just like the Sun, during the reversal of its magnetic field, the internal excess energy has to be released. However, in the case of the Earth the excess energy released would be in the forms of massive earthquakes and explosive volcanic eruptions, mainly hot spots volcanoes, since they are feed from the interior of the Earth. And, let us hope for the best
A solar wind stream is buffeting Earth’s magnetic field.
https://watchers.news/2020/07/16/study-finds-correlation-between-solar-activity-and-large-earthquakes-worldwide/