Nature & Environment
New Zealand Earthquake: 'Ring of Fire' Experiences 15,000 Tremors a Year
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Aug 18, 2013 01:30 PM EDT
On Saturday, an earthquake hit central New Zealand at a 6.5 magnitude according to the Associated Press.
The quake was so severe that it allegedly sent workers fleeing from their office buildings and into a mass of chaos and confusion, with various news organizations reporting that the streets were littered with scattered glass from broken windows that busted during the incident.
Yet despite the intensity of the quake, little visible evidence was seen regarding damage.
"The city is operating as usual, sports fields and recreation facilities are open -- get out there and enjoy them," said Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown of the capital city, via Fox News.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the epicenter of the initial temblor was 94 kilometers (58 miles) west of Wellington at a depth of roughly 10 kilometers (6 miles.)
This isn't the first earth-shaking disaster the area has seen recently. Just three weeks ago, a quake broke water mains and even smashed down power lines.
Seismologist of New Zealand Caroline Little notes that the quakes experienced since July have showed a rather unusual pattern.
"Normally you get a big quake and then the aftershocks get smaller in magnitude," she said, via the Huffington Post.
Fortunately, no serious injuries have been reported at this time.
New Zealand is on the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, forming part of the so-called "Ring of Fire". It experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year.
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First Posted: Aug 18, 2013 01:30 PM EDT
On Saturday, an earthquake hit central New Zealand at a 6.5 magnitude according to the Associated Press.
The quake was so severe that it allegedly sent workers fleeing from their office buildings and into a mass of chaos and confusion, with various news organizations reporting that the streets were littered with scattered glass from broken windows that busted during the incident.
Yet despite the intensity of the quake, little visible evidence was seen regarding damage.
"The city is operating as usual, sports fields and recreation facilities are open -- get out there and enjoy them," said Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown of the capital city, via Fox News.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the epicenter of the initial temblor was 94 kilometers (58 miles) west of Wellington at a depth of roughly 10 kilometers (6 miles.)
This isn't the first earth-shaking disaster the area has seen recently. Just three weeks ago, a quake broke water mains and even smashed down power lines.
Seismologist of New Zealand Caroline Little notes that the quakes experienced since July have showed a rather unusual pattern.
"Normally you get a big quake and then the aftershocks get smaller in magnitude," she said, via the Huffington Post.
Fortunately, no serious injuries have been reported at this time.
New Zealand is on the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, forming part of the so-called "Ring of Fire". It experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone