Extraordinary seismic activity has been shaking up the Bay of Plenty, with a whopping 40 earthquakes hitting the region in just one night!
Early on Saturday morning, the ground began to shake with a magnitude 3.4 tremor, which was felt near Whakatane, near Kawerau. Since then, GNS Science has recorded more than 110 quakes, with the strongest being a magnitude of 4.8 at 4.46 am, and another magnitude of 4.6.
While this might seem scary, experts say that it’s just a common occurrence in this volcanic region, with similar swarms seen in 2018 and 2019 near Kawarau. Duty seismologist Elizabeth Abbott explained, “Certainly swarms are uncomfortable and unsettling cause it’s so many little earthquakes all at once, but we can’t predict earthquakes. We don’t know when the big one is going to come, so the best thing to do is be prepared.”
GeoNet also took to Twitter to assure people that they are keeping an eye on things, saying, “Feeling earthquakes close together in time can be unsettling, but this is typical activity for the area, and our team is keeping an eye on things.”
So while the earth might be shaking things up a bit, there’s no need to be scared. Just make sure you’re prepared in case of any future quakes!
5 Responses
earth be shakey shakey
earth be shakey
Thats crazy!!!
VERY VERY INTERESTING. 🙂
@jack
gaster reference???