NEW ZEALAND (March 4, 2021)–today a powerful 8.0-magnitude earthquake has struck off the eastern side of New Zealand’s North Island, prompting a second tsunami warning hours after an earlier alert was withdrawn.
This is the third earthquake to occur along the Kermadec Trench north of New Zealand, presenting a tsunami threat to #NewZealand, Fiji, and American Samoa.
The New Zealand National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) issued a national warning early on Friday, saying: “People near the coast in the following areas must move immediately to the nearest high ground, out of all tsunami evacuation zones, or as far inland as possible. Do not stay at home.”
The warning came after the third quake of the day, near the unpopulated Kermadec islands.
“Based on all available data, a tsunami may have been generated by this earthquake that could be destructive on coastal areas even far from the epicenter,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
A severe 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck earlier in the morning.
There were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties after the first quake, but Nema advised people in some coastal areas to move immediately to high ground.
Local civil defence authorities said the tsunami threat would continue for several hours. “Coastal inundation (flooding of land areas) is expected in areas under land and marine threat,” Nema tweeted.
We have issued a NATIONAL ADVISORY: TSUNAMI ACTIVITY following the magnitude 7.3 earthquake near EAST OF THE NORTH ISLAND NEW ZEALAND. We expect New Zealand coastal areas to experience strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore
— National Emergency Management Agency (@NZcivildefence) March 4, 2021
The closest big city to the epicentre is Gisborne, with a population of about 35,500. People near the coast, from Cape Runaway to Tolaga Bay, were told to evacuate.
“Hope everyone is OK out there – especially on the east coast, who would have felt the full force of that earthquake,” the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, posted on Instagram.
There was no threat to the capital, Wellington, and other regions, but civil defence authorities asked residents across the country to stay away from beaches and marine areas as there could be strong and unusual currents.The New Zealand government’s seismic monitor GeoNet assessed the quake at a magnitude of 7.2 with a depth of 94km (58 miles).
More than 60,000 people left reports on GeoNet’s website, saying they had felt the quake; 282 people described the shaking as “severe” and 75 said it was “extreme”. Most others described it as light. Aftershocks were still being recorded in the area.
The US Geological Survey initially recorded the quake at 7.3, then revised it down to 6.9. It said the quake occurred at a depth of 10km.
In 2011 a 6.3-magnitude quake hit the city of Christchurch, killing 185 people and destroying much of the city center.
Source: The Guardian