MONUMENTAL DELUGE: The Latest Reports Of High Tides, Heavy Rainfall, Flash Floods, Sea Level Rise, Widespread Flooding, And Catastrophic Storms - Floods Hit Santiago, Chile Cutting Water Service To MILLIONS; 23 Killed By Flooding In Afghanistan; Malawi Declares "STATE OF EMERGENCY" As Flooding Kills Dozens; Flooding Hits North Island, New Zealand With More Heavy Rainfall On Way! [PHOTOS + VIDEOS]

Floods in Santiago. © Claudio Orrego

April 17, 2016 - EARTH - The following list constitutes the latest reports of high tides, heavy rainfall, flash floods, widespread flooding, sea level rise and catastrophic storms.

Floods hit Santiago, Chile cutting water service to millions

Heavy rains have caused severe flooding and cut water service to millions of people in Chile's capital, Santiago.

Authorities say the Rio Mapocho flooded several districts of the city and landslides killed at least one person. Seven others are missing and people along the Costanera Center shopping center were being evacuated Sunday.

Floods in Santiago. © Agencia Uno

City officials say water service was cut to at least 3 million people due to contamination caused by the flooding. They've urged residents to limit water use until the problem is past.

Electricity also was cut to tens of thousands of people in the Chilean capital on Sunday.


WATCH: Widespread flooding in Chile.

23 killed by flooding in Afghanistan

At least 23 people were killed as heavy rainfall and floods hit Afghanistan's Badghis province on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Based on the reports we have received so far, 23 people, including women and children, have been confirmed dead due to downpour and flooding in Jawand, Balamurghab and Abkamari districts," a police official told Xinhua news agency.

An Afghan man tries to get out of flood water after a heavy rain in Samangan province, northern Afghanistan, April 17, 2016.

Afghan men push a car trapped in flood water after a heavy rain in Samangan province, northern Afghanistan, April 17, 2016.

Afghan men wade through flood water after a heavy rain in Samangan province, northern Afghanistan, April 17, 2016.

Rainstorm and flooding hit several parts of Afghanistan, including the capital city Kabul, on Saturday night and parts of the country were still receiving heavy rain.

Malawi declares "State of Emergency" as flooding kills dozens

Floods in Malawi

Ten days of persistent rains in the north of Malawi have killed dozens, injured others while destroying over 1000 houses and affecting about 17,000 families.

The impact of the rain has made President Peter Mutharika to declare a state of emergency as local authorities call for help.

The disaster has wreaked havoc on the densely populated country, where most people survive on subsistence farming. Crops of maize have been destroyed, villages wiped out, homes swept away and livestock killed.
Ethel Khosa, is one of the survivors, but unfortunately she lost two of her children and her home. "It all started yesterday late in the evening when we were sleeping. Suddenly, the house collapsed on us," she said.

"We call all religious organizations to come and support the people in a situation of lack, at the level of housing and other basic products which can help," said Patricia Kaliyati, Malawi Minister of information.

Many of those forced from their homes have taken refuge in schools, disrupting education for around 350,000 pupils. Unicef is providing tents so that the schools can set up temporary learning spaces while still offering accommodation to families at night.


WATCH: Malawi declares "State of Emergency" as floods kill dozens.

Flooding hits North Island, New Zealand with more heavy rain on way

Coromandel residents told how they were caught out by fast-rising floodwater after the heavens opened on Sunday.

Cars have been left stranded on flooded roads and homes are water-logged after the North Island was drenched in rain.
Many fences are down as farmers wait for the morning to see if livestock in flooded paddocks have made it through the night.

Tellic Evans from White Star Honey at Colville at the northern end of the Coromandel Peninsula said 174ml of rain fell on her farm on Sunday.

A severe weather watch was upgraded to a warning at 6.30pm on Sunday, she said but by then it was too late. "It' had already hit us by then," Evans said.

"We've got stock that are up to their bellies in water because we didn't move them to high enough ground because we thought it wasn't going to rain that much."

Paddocks and fences are damaged, neighbours closer to the foreshore have already lost stock and a number of homes, including her own, are surrounded by flood water

The Colville School is also affected.

The Coromandel Peninsula and parts of west Auckland bore the brunt of the heavy downpour.

Flooding in Colville, in the Coromandel, on Sunday.  THAMES VALLEY CIVIL DEFENCE

Heavy rain in the Coromandel drenches paddocks. © TELLIC EVANS

The rain stopped at about 9pm and Evans hoped to see flood water recede with the low tide.

But she won't be able to do anything for her animals until dawn on Monday.

"We couldn't get to them because they were surrounded. It's like, leave them and hope we don't lose them."

Elsewhere, one car had to be rescued while driving through water in Albert St, Coromandel, while the nearby town of Colville was flooded.

Fire Service shift manager Daniel Nicholson said a driver was trying to get through a "small river of water" in Coromandel at 4.50pm.

They were trapped in their car as they attempted to get to higher ground but were eventually freed, he said.

Fire crews also responded to floods in Colville at 5.30pm.

MetService had warned of heavy rain in Northland brought upon by a trough of low pressure moving southeast from the subtropics.

In Auckland there were consistent showers during the day, with several flooded houses west of the city.

A loungeroom in a Ranui home was flooded, while a basement of a house in Titirangi was flooded, requiring portable pumps to get water out, Nicholson said.

MetService warned more wet weather was on its way for Sunday night, with rainfall of 50mm to 80mm expected to fall on the Coromandel up until 9pm.



- Daily Mail | Odisha Sun Times | Africa News | Stuff.

PLANETARY TREMORS: Strong Magnitude 6.6 Temblor Shake Near The Kermadec Islands Triggering "GHOST QUAKES" In North Island, New Zeland - But Why?!

Tuesday's earthquake was centred near the Kermadec's Raoul Island, about 1000km northeast of New Zealand.© Massey University

February 2, 2016 - NEW ZEALAND - The magnitude 6.6 quake that struck off the coast of the North Island on Tuesday was widely felt and triggered false reports of shakes in New Zealand.

It is not uncommon for earthquakes to confuse seismic readings as energy from tremors travels large distances.

These "ghost quakes" register as local earthquakes when the GNS Science system starts to receive data.

Seismic graphs show the earthquake waves at 8am on Tuesday detected by the northernmost seismographs.© John Ristau

Let's dive right in to the world of ghost earthquakes.

What happened on Tuesday?

A large magnitude 6.6 quake centres about 850 kilometres north of Whakatane at a depth of 360km.

The epicentre was near the Kermadec Islands and the Kermadec Trench.

The location of the quake. Deep quakes off the coast can be initially recorded as multiple quakes.© USGS

The United States Geological Survey located the earthquake 120km north-northwest of a barren outcrop known as L'Esperance Rock.

Below the North Island, the Pacific plate is subducting beneath the Australian plate, which causes deeper quakes.© GeoNet

ell me more about this part of the Pacific.

The trench is the fifth deepest point of the world's oceans.

It marks the point where the Australian plate meets the Pacific plate.

A national seismic trace shows the earthquake detected progressively, from Raoul Island southwards.© GNS Science

Geographically, the entire region is one of the most seismically active areas in the world.

So, about all that shaking people "felt" in New Zealand.

A still from the Raoul Island webcam on Tuesday at 9.20am.© GNS Science

New Zealanders felt the quake's energy, but it wasn't in New Zealand.

Seismographs interpreted the waves as locally sourced and triggered alerts for the North Island.

"Ghost" quakes sometimes appear on the seismic monitoring system, the GeoNet array of around 200 seismograms dotted around New Zealand, after a large regional earthquake.

Magnitude 6.6 is a big shake and has the potential to cause a disaster.

Sensitive equipment picks up the seismic waves created by earthquakes. Equipment gets confused and pushes out an earthquake alert interpreted as locally sourced to the public, when the shake could be hundreds of kilometres away.

As in this case?

Yes, the earthquake was around 1000km away and deep.

This is all a bit confusing.

It's simple.

As the seismic waves travelled south from the source they are picked up progressively by detectors.

First Raoul Island, which has a webcam by the way, picked up the earthquake then the network detected the waves as they quickly moved southwards.

The "ghost" or "false" quakes, reported on Tuesday as three severe quakes in the Bay of Plenty region, were removed from the GeoNet alert system after initial reports.

This kind of thing has happened before.

In 2013, a quake near the location of Tuesday's shake triggered ghost earthquake readings in New Zealand.

Why don't scientists wait to confirm an earthquake's location?

In short, it's important to get information and data out to the public quickly.

As soon as readings start coming in from the seismic network that information is automatically publicly notified.

Later, once GNS Science review data, they can revise the reported magnitude and pinpoint the precise location.

Let's get technical shall we?

OK, it's all about different types of seismic waves, known as P-waves and S-waves, and the types of detection equipment.

P stands for primary waves, S for secondary.

Broadly, the equipment confuses the secondary waves for primary shaking, hence the three severe shakes initially reported by GeoNet and felt by New Zealanders.

GNS seismologist Dr John Ristau says:

"People actually felt the quake. It was quite deep.

"Our automatic system, generally, for 99 per cent of the time it actually works quite well.

"We know there's a problem when we have large earthquakes north of the North Island, particularly when they are deep.

"Our automatic system gets fooled.

"Primary waves are the fastest. That triggers the system. Then you have the secondary waves. The S-waves come in well defined...so the automatic system gets fooled into thinking it's another earthquake."

Can scientists do anything about the confusion?

The current system is the best available.

Ristau says GNS Science would rather have the system detect earthquakes as false than re-calibrate it and risk failing to detect a locally-sourced shake.

Plus, it's important to get information out to the public as quickly as possible in New Zealand and the Pacific.

Seismograms are extremely sensitive aren't they?

They can pick up wind and traffic noise, so it's no surprise when they detect tremors from earthquakes hundreds, or even thousands, of kilometres away.

They picked up the Foo Fighters blasting Auckland in 2011, remember?

That area of the ocean sounds interesting.

The Kermadec Islands and the surrounding area lie within a marine sanctuary created in 2015.

Once fully enacted as a reserve by the Government in 2016, the sanctuary will be one of the largest and most protected marine regions in the world.

It's even possible to visit, although you'll need a permit. - Stuff.

PLANETARY TREMORS: Strong Magnitude 5.1 Earthquake Shakes Lower North Island, New Zealand- Geonet! [MAPS + TECTONIC SUMMARY]

The earthquake was felt throughout the North Island. © Keith Lynch (CPL)

January 4, 2016 - NEW ZEALAND - An "short, sharp shake" has been felt throughout the lower North Island, with a lighter earthquake coming two hours later.

Geonet received reports from 865 people that had felt the 5.1 magnitude quake with reports from people who have felt it, from as far as Ohakune and Hawera.

The quake was centred 25 kilometres east of Pongaroa, in the Tararua district, at a depth of 25km, hitting at 1.07pm.

Bit of a shudder here at Paekakariki - est 20 seconds duration #eqnz
— Jesse Easton (@jesterabi) January 4, 2016

Tararua District councillor Shirley Hull was at her Pahiatua home with family when she felt the quake hit.

She said Pongaroa's "short, sharp shake" left their light swaying.

"They seem to be getting a few these days... [we have] just got to make sure that everybody's OK."

Nasty lunchtime shake here in Palmerston North. #eqnz
— Gerry le Roux (@GerryleRoux) January 4, 2016

Natalie Raynel said she felt a similar shake in Dannevirke, but it was "not too bad".

Folker Liebenow, who lives between Waipukurau and Hastings, said he felt the quake but there was no damage.

He said they felt every one of the quakes that hit Pongaroa, and by those standards it was "moderately strong".

Geonet classified the earthquake as 'strong'.

The second earthquake hit 40km east of Pongaroa, with an intensity of 4.1 magnitude, at 3.10pm.

With a depth of 35km, the earthquake was classified as 'light'. - Stuff.

Seismotectonics of the Eastern Margin of the Australia Plate

The eastern margin of the Australia plate is one of the most sesimically active areas of the world due to high rates of convergence between the Australia and Pacific plates. In the region of New Zealand, the 3000 km long Australia-Pacific plate boundary extends from south of Macquarie Island to the southern Kermadec Island chain. It includes an oceanic transform (the Macquarie Ridge), two oppositely verging subduction zones (Puysegur and Hikurangi), and a transpressive continental transform, the Alpine Fault through South Island, New Zealand.

Since 1900 there have been 15 M7.5+ earthquakes recorded near New Zealand. Nine of these, and the four largest, occurred along or near the Macquarie Ridge, including the 1989 M8.2 event on the ridge itself, and the 2004 M8.1 event 200 km to the west of the plate boundary, reflecting intraplate deformation. The largest recorded earthquake in New Zealand itself was the 1931 M7.8 Hawke's Bay earthquake, which killed 256 people. The last M7.5+ earthquake along the Alpine Fault was 170 years ago; studies of the faults' strain accumulation suggest that similar events are likely to occur again.

USGS plate tectonics for the region.

North of New Zealand, the Australia-Pacific boundary stretches east of Tonga and Fiji to 250 km south of Samoa. For 2,200 km the trench is approximately linear, and includes two segments where old (greater than 120 Myr) Pacific oceanic lithosphere rapidly subducts westward (Kermadec and Tonga). At the northern end of the Tonga trench, the boundary curves sharply westward and changes along a 700 km-long segment from trench-normal subduction, to oblique subduction, to a left lateral transform-like structure.

Australia-Pacific convergence rates increase northward from 60 mm/yr at the southern Kermadec trench to 90 mm/yr at the northern Tonga trench; however, significant back arc extension (or equivalently, slab rollback) causes the consumption rate of subducting Pacific lithosphere to be much faster. The spreading rate in the Havre trough, west of the Kermadec trench, increases northward from 8 to 20 mm/yr. The southern tip of this spreading center is propagating into the North Island of New Zealand, rifting it apart. In the southern Lau Basin, west of the Tonga trench, the spreading rate increases northward from 60 to 90 mm/yr, and in the northern Lau Basin, multiple spreading centers result in an extension rate as high as 160 mm/yr. The overall subduction velocity of the Pacific plate is the vector sum of Australia-Pacific velocity and back arc spreading velocity: thus it increases northward along the Kermadec trench from 70 to 100 mm/yr, and along the Tonga trench from 150 to 240 mm/yr.

The Kermadec-Tonga subduction zone generates many large earthquakes on the interface between the descending Pacific and overriding Australia plates, within the two plates themselves and, less frequently, near the outer rise of the Pacific plate east of the trench. Since 1900, 40 M7.5+ earthquakes have been recorded, mostly north of 30°S. However, it is unclear whether any of the few historic M8+ events that have occurred close to the plate boundary were underthrusting events on the plate interface, or were intraplate earthquakes. On September 29, 2009, one of the largest normal fault (outer rise) earthquakes ever recorded (M8.1) occurred south of Samoa, 40 km east of the Tonga trench, generating a tsunami that killed at least 180 people.

Across the North Fiji Basin and to the west of the Vanuatu Islands, the Australia plate again subducts eastwards beneath the Pacific, at the North New Hebrides trench. At the southern end of this trench, east of the Loyalty Islands, the plate boundary curves east into an oceanic transform-like structure analogous to the one north of Tonga.

Australia-Pacific convergence rates increase northward from 80 to 90 mm/yr along the North New Hebrides trench, but the Australia plate consumption rate is increased by extension in the back arc and in the North Fiji Basin. Back arc spreading occurs at a rate of 50 mm/yr along most of the subduction zone, except near ~15°S, where the D'Entrecasteaux ridge intersects the trench and causes localized compression of 50 mm/yr in the back arc. Therefore, the Australia plate subduction velocity ranges from 120 mm/yr at the southern end of the North New Hebrides trench, to 40 mm/yr at the D'Entrecasteaux ridge-trench intersection, to 170 mm/yr at the northern end of the trench.

Large earthquakes are common along the North New Hebrides trench and have mechanisms associated with subduction tectonics, though occasional strike slip earthquakes occur near the subduction of the D'Entrecasteaux ridge. Within the subduction zone 34 M7.5+ earthquakes have been recorded since 1900. On October 7, 2009, a large interplate thrust fault earthquake (M7.6) in the northern North New Hebrides subduction zone was followed 15 minutes later by an even larger interplate event (M7.8) 60 km to the north. It is likely that the first event triggered the second of the so-called earthquake "doublet".

More information on regional seismicity and tectonics

- USGS.

INFRASTRUCTURE COLLAPSE: Plane Crashes At Tauranga Airport, North Island In New Zealand - Two People Injured!

Two people were on board this plane when it made a crash landing at Tauranga Airport. Photo / George Novak

March 10, 2015 - NEW ZEALAND - Witnesses at the scene have recounted a close call between two incoming planes moments before one crash landed at Tauranga Airport.

A red vintage style plane landed at the airport and a yellow bi-plane followed in close behind.

Witnesses described the yellow plane wobbling before the left wing scraped the ground. It then came to a stop on its nose and smashed the propeller off.

A man and a woman ran from the plane and were treated by St john paramedics.

The crashed plane was a Tiger Moth.

A reporter at the scene said the small, yellow bi-plane had crashed on a grass runway.

The plane was on its wheels but its nose was in the ground. There were about three fire trucks on the runway alongside the plane.

Two people were on board this plane when it made a crash landing at Tauranga Airport. Photo / George Novak

Another plane appeared to be waiting on the runway.

It was not clear if the crashed plane's occupants were injured at this stage.

Tauranga Council communications manager Aimee Driscoll said the aircraft had "difficulty landing" just before 3pm and suffered minor damage.

There were no injuries to the two people onboard and no disruption to Air New Zealand services, she said.

The aircraft suffered a broken propeller and was now being removed.

The Civil Aviation Authority would determine whether an investigation needed to be carried out.

Emergency services said they were too busy to respond to media queries at present.

The Tauranga Aeroclub has refused to comment on the incident.

Communications staff at Tauranga Airport have so far been unavailable. - NZ Herald.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: The Latest Report Of Volcanic Eruptions, Activity, Unrest And Awakenings – December 4, 2014!

Snapshot from embedded video showing the boiling lava lake at the vent in Holuhraun

December 4, 2014 - EARTH - The following constitutes the new activity, unrest and ongoing reports of volcanoes across the globe.

Bardarbunga (Iceland)

The eruption continues with little changes. While most of the lava now remains on top of the already emplaced lava field, more than 75 square km large, several lateral outbreaks are active as well.

The most active one, to the north, has advanced more than 450 m in a single day.

Thermal image from 1 Dec. shows considerable magmatic activity in the lava and in just over 24 hours it has stretched about 450 m to NNA through the new
extrusion at the northeastern margin. West of the lava lake, the lava river now branches towards north. The southern margin is also active; a new extrusion
seems to be forming due south from the lava lake and something similar is taking place just east of that. On this image, the plume appears like a brownish
cloud over the middle part of the lava field and pillows of steam still seem to hover over the eastern part. Contrarily, the green effects
are simply artefacts and tricks of light. (Image: Institute of Earth Sciences)

Landsat-8 image of the area of the eruption (NASA)

Seismic activity remains high under the volcano - yesterday, 2 earthquakes above magnitude 2 occurred under Bárðarbunga.

No significant earthquake activity occurs under the erupting dyke, suggesting the situation is stable.

WATCH: Holuhraun eruption - Bardarbunga volcanic complex.

Fogo (Cape Verde)

The intensity of the eruption has strongly decreased, and the lava flows that have been destroying Portela seems to have at least temporarily stopped.

The  situation remains critical inside the Cha caldera. The erupted lava collects in rapidly growing flows that destroy roads and houses near the caldera. The northern lava flow branch enter the village of Portela and  destroyed and/or damaged several buildings, including the headquarters of the Fogo Nature Park.

Map of the lava flow field (Source: INGT / facebook)

Lava flow in Portela village

Destruction of houses in Portela this morning. (Fogo News)

The eruptive vents at Fogo this morning (MuzikaTV)

Screenshot of eruption video showing the two active vents at Fogo

Explosive activity at the eruptive vents of Fogo  (MuzikaTV)

Lava flows at Fogo (credit: Landsat image on Google Earth / Peter Webley)

Nishino-shima (Volcano Islands, Japan)

The eruption continues and has been going for more than a year now.

Steam plume from Nishinoshima on 27 Nov 2014 (Landsat 8 image / NASA Earth Observatory)

Comparison of Nishinoshima from shortly after the birth of the new island (image 21 Nov 2013, lt), the merging with the old island (25 Dec, rt), formation of
extensive lava deltas (7 April 2014, lb), and the disappearance of the old island under new lava (13 Nov 2014, rb) (Source. Asahi.com)

It has enlarged the island to 1.89 square km (0.73 square miles). The highest point is now approx. 100 m above sea level.

Ruapehu (North Island)

Recent measurements by NZ scientists indicate that the volcano's crater lake is currently in a cooling trend.

At 15 deg C, it has the lowest temperature recorded since April 2010.

According to GeoNet, the current cycle is part of the normal behavior of the lake.

It does not exclude the possibility of a sudden eruption, although makes it less likely. Heat flow and chemistry indicate the vents are not sealed from the lake.

"Most eruptions from Crater Lake occur when it is hot, however some have also occurred from a cool lake.


To put this in context, since 1965 there have been 35 eruptions through Crater Lake that have affected the wider summit area of Mt Ruapehu, only three of those came from cooler lakes (December 1979, December 1988 and September 2007). Hence it is very unlikely (9%) that an eruption of Mt Ruapehu affecting the wider summit area will occur while the lake temperature is less than 22°C."

Kilauea (Hawai'i)

The new lava lobe continues to advance and widen. As of this morning, it was only 4.3 km (2.7 miles) from Highway 130. A surge in lava supply resulted in an advance rate of 400 m per day!

At this rate it could reach Pahoa again by 12 December, if it follows the current flow path along the steepest slope to the north-northeast. If it follows another possible path, it could hit Ainaloa instead. It might even follow both paths, but it is too early to predict this.

Shishaldin (United States, Aleutian Islands)

Seismic activity remains elevated. According to the Alaska Volcano Observatory, "a low-level lava eruption is probably still occurring", although cloud cover prevents visual confirmation by satellite.

Cerro Negro de Mayasquer (Colombia)

The volcano's alert level was decreased to Yellow. Seismic remains above background, but has decreased significantly recently.

Copahue (Chile/Argentina)

A recent video by Robin Campion (Univ. Mexico) shows that the activity at the volcano is now magmatic in nature, i.e. fresh magma is being erupted as a small jet of mostly finely fragmented incandescent ash:
 
WATCH: Copahue volcano erupts.

Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion)

A new eruption could be under way at the volcano. An increase in seismic activity, inflation of the volcanic edifice, and SO2 gas mixed into the degassing plume, typical for a fresh magma intrusion at shallow depth have been detected by the volcano observatory (OVPF).

The prefecture raised the alert for the volcano again to "Vigilance", after it had been lowered on 1 Dec only.

The changed status means that police, civil protection and other authorities are on standby to react quickly if an eruption occurs. Access to Enclos Fouque is not yet closed to public, but hikers must stay on marked trails.

- Volcano Discovery.

PLANETARY TREMORS: Global Seismic Uptick - Powerful 6.7 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes East Of Gisborne, New Zealand; No Tsunami Warning! [MAPS + TECTONIC SUMMARY]

USGS earthquake location map.

November 16, 2014 - NEW ZEALAND - A powerful 6.7 magnitude earthquake shook the east coast of New Zealand Monday, but authorities ruled out an immediate tsunami threat.

The quake, which struck at 10:33 am (2233 GMT Sunday) was centred at sea nearly 200 kilometres (120 miles) from the eastern North Island city of Gisborne and 35 kilometres deep, the US Geological Survey said.

New Zealand´s civil defence organisation said it was "unlikely to have caused a tsunami that will pose a threat to New Zealand."

There have been no reports of damage, but workers in Rotorua were evacuated as a precaution. A Te Waiariki Purea Trust staff member said its building in the Haupapa St was cleared.

USGS earthquake shakemap intensity.

Hawkes Bay Today reporter Sam Hurley said on Twitter that he felt the "rather large" quake in Napier.

Betty Lowe of Whakatane said the quake was the "worst" she'd felt in a long time.

"[The] floor moved under me, vertical blinds really swayed, [it] went on for several minutes."

Earlier, GeoNet reported a 5.1 earthquake had also struck Hanmer Springs just after 11.30 this morning. However, this turned out to be a technical glitch.

New Zealand sits at the southwestern edge of the Pacific "ring of fire," an area of high seismic and volcanic activity that stretches up through Japan, across to Alaska and down the west coasts of North and South America. - NZ Herald.

Tectonic Summary - Seismotectonics of the Eastern Margin of the Australia Plate

The eastern margin of the Australia plate is one of the most sesimically active areas of the world due to high rates of convergence between the Australia and Pacific plates. In the region of New Zealand, the 3000 km long Australia-Pacific plate boundary extends from south of Macquarie Island to the southern Kermadec Island chain. It includes an oceanic transform (the Macquarie Ridge), two oppositely verging subduction zones (Puysegur and Hikurangi), and a transpressive continental transform, the Alpine Fault through South Island, New Zealand.

Since 1900 there have been 15 M7.5+ earthquakes recorded near New Zealand. Nine of these, and the four largest, occurred along or near the Macquarie Ridge, including the 1989 M8.2 event on the ridge itself, and the 2004 M8.1 event 200 km to the west of the plate boundary, reflecting intraplate deformation. The largest recorded earthquake in New Zealand itself was the 1931 M7.8 Hawke's Bay earthquake, which killed 256 people. The last M7.5+ earthquake along the Alpine Fault was 170 years ago; studies of the faults' strain accumulation suggest that similar events are likely to occur again.

USGS plate tectonics for the region.

North of New Zealand, the Australia-Pacific boundary stretches east of Tonga and Fiji to 250 km south of Samoa. For 2,200 km the trench is approximately linear, and includes two segments where old (>120 Myr) Pacific oceanic lithosphere rapidly subducts westward (Kermadec and Tonga). At the northern end of the Tonga trench, the boundary curves sharply westward and changes along a 700 km-long segment from trench-normal subduction, to oblique subduction, to a left lateral transform-like structure.

Australia-Pacific convergence rates increase northward from 60 mm/yr at the southern Kermadec trench to 90 mm/yr at the northern Tonga trench; however, significant back arc extension (or equivalently, slab rollback) causes the consumption rate of subducting Pacific lithosphere to be much faster. The spreading rate in the Havre trough, west of the Kermadec trench, increases northward from 8 to 20 mm/yr. The southern tip of this spreading center is propagating into the North Island of New Zealand, rifting it apart. In the southern Lau Basin, west of the Tonga trench, the spreading rate increases northward from 60 to 90 mm/yr, and in the northern Lau Basin, multiple spreading centers result in an extension rate as high as 160 mm/yr. The overall subduction velocity of the Pacific plate is the vector sum of Australia-Pacific velocity and back arc spreading velocity: thus it increases northward along the Kermadec trench from 70 to 100 mm/yr, and along the Tonga trench from 150 to 240 mm/yr.

The Kermadec-Tonga subduction zone generates many large earthquakes on the interface between the descending Pacific and overriding Australia plates, within the two plates themselves and, less frequently, near the outer rise of the Pacific plate east of the trench. Since 1900, 40 M7.5+ earthquakes have been recorded, mostly north of 30°S. However, it is unclear whether any of the few historic M8+ events that have occurred close to the plate boundary were underthrusting events on the plate interface, or were intraplate earthquakes. On September 29, 2009, one of the largest normal fault (outer rise) earthquakes ever recorded (M8.1) occurred south of Samoa, 40 km east of the Tonga trench, generating a tsunami that killed at least 180 people.

Across the North Fiji Basin and to the west of the Vanuatu Islands, the Australia plate again subducts eastwards beneath the Pacific, at the North New Hebrides trench. At the southern end of this trench, east of the Loyalty Islands, the plate boundary curves east into an oceanic transform-like structure analogous to the one north of Tonga.

Australia-Pacific convergence rates increase northward from 80 to 90 mm/yr along the North New Hebrides trench, but the Australia plate consumption rate is increased by extension in the back arc and in the North Fiji Basin. Back arc spreading occurs at a rate of 50 mm/yr along most of the subduction zone, except near ~15°S, where the D'Entrecasteaux ridge intersects the trench and causes localized compression of 50 mm/yr in the back arc. Therefore, the Australia plate subduction velocity ranges from 120 mm/yr at the southern end of the North New Hebrides trench, to 40 mm/yr at the D'Entrecasteaux ridge-trench intersection, to 170 mm/yr at the northern end of the trench.

Large earthquakes are common along the North New Hebrides trench and have mechanisms associated with subduction tectonics, though occasional strike slip earthquakes occur near the subduction of the D'Entrecasteaux ridge. Within the subduction zone 34 M7.5+ earthquakes have been recorded since 1900. On October 7, 2009, a large interplate thrust fault earthquake (M7.6) in the northern North New Hebrides subduction zone was followed 15 minutes later by an even larger interplate event (M7.8) 60 km to the north. It is likely that the first event triggered the second of the so-called earthquake "doublet". - USGS.

PLANETARY TREMORS: Tsunami Risk In New Zealand's Mega-Quake Zone - Could Take Less Than 15 Minutes To Reach The Coast!

January 10, 2014 - NEW ZEALAND - New research into giant earthquakes shows a tsunami from a quake east of New Zealand could take less than 15 minutes to reach the coast.

A team of scientists has published research they say show where giant earthquakes are most likely to strike - including off the east coast of New Zealand.

The team's leader, Wouter Schellart from Monash University in Melbourne, said quakes of magnitude 9 and over happen only in subduction zones, where one plate sinks below another into the earth's interior.

The team has mapped the zones, showing which areas produce those massive quakes.

Professor Schellart said a tsunami generated by a giant earthquake on the Tonga-Kermadec-Hikurangi fault, about 200km east of the North Island, would have the same impact as the Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011.

He said the waves would travel from the fault to New Zealand in 10 to 15 minutes, and would go further inshore than previously thought.

"There's not a lot of time between the earthquake and the actual tsunami reaching the coastline, so that's a challenge for people (working on) natural hazards and risk mitigation."

The other zones are in Indonesia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and Greece.

Professor Schellart and Professor Nick Rawlinson, from the University of Aberdeen, have been working on the research since 2009. - Radio NZ.

EXTREME WEATHER: Drought In New Zealand - The Worst Drought In 70 Years Hits The North Island!

April 26, 2013 - NEW ZEALAND - Farmers in New Zealand rejoiced in mid-April 2013 when rains started to break one of the worst droughts to hit the country in decades.

Much of the country reached drought status in late February and experienced unusually low levels of rain throughout the summer. The situation on North Island, in particular, worsened throughout March.

By early April, climate and weather experts had started calling it the worst drought on North Island in 70 years. The area around Wellington, for instance, saw no rainfall at all between February 13 and March 17.

A significant portion of North Island is comprised of grassland that farmers used as pastureland. Most of the pasturelands are not irrigated and depend on rainfall.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured these glimpses of the drought’s impact.

The landscape in the top image, acquired on April 10, 2013, was considerably browner than in April 2009 (a more typical year).

The light green areas, where changes are most noticeable, are mainly pastoral landscapes populated by sheep, cattle, and deer farmers. The darker areas without significant changes in greenness are forests.

The drought has been attributed to the presence of a high-pressure area that lingered over New Zealand throughout the summer, causing low pressure areas—and the associated rainfall they bring—to skirt either side of the country. - EO.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Scientists Probe The Secrets Of Earth's Tectonic Plates - What Are The Mechanisms Behind "Mega-Thrust" Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Tsunamis And Geological Phenomena!

April 15, 2013 - EARTH - Scientists from across the world have come here to examine how to unlock secrets hidden within our offshore tectonic plate boundaries over the next decade, potentially resulting in multi-million dollar projects.

Around 160 leading scientists from 10 countries are in Wellington this week for the GeoPrisms workshop, picking projects from a wish-list of earth science research proposals.

The studies centre on activity at the boundaries of the Pacific Plate and the Australian Plate, and the process of "subduction", when one is pulled under another.

A high level of interest in the workshop from overseas scientists reflected the importance of New Zealand's geological setting. Photo / File

Despite the relatively slow movement, this process gives rise to earthquakes, volcanism and other geological phenomena that scientists want to learn more about.

These subduction zones are among the more active in the world and are thought to be capable of producing giant "mega-thrust" earthquakes and tsunamis, as well as being responsible for the long history of volcanic activity in the central North Island and the Kermadec Arc.

Yet little is known about the mechanisms at play.

Among the proposed projects is a multi-million dollar plan to drill into the interface between the Pacific and Australian plates east of Gisborne to obtain direct evidence of the processes occurring at the plate boundary.
This project, subject to rigorous safety checks, would involve inserting instruments in the drill holes to record a range of physical and chemical phenomena.

Other places where such drilling could be considered include the Brothers volcano in the Kermadec Arc, 400km northeast of the Bay of Plenty, and at the Lord Howe Rise about 1500km northwest of Northland, to help understand how and why subduction began beyond northern New Zealand 45 million years ago.

"New Zealand is unique in the world in having a plate boundary that exhibits many different aspects of subduction, including a wide variety of earthquake and volcanic behaviour," said workshop convener Dr Laura Wallace.

"The New Zealand setting represents a superb opportunity for the international earth science community to find answers to the many outstanding questions about why subduction zones behave the way they do."

A high level of interest in the workshop from overseas scientists reflected the importance of New Zealand's geological setting, she said.

As part of its earth science research programme, the National Science Foundation in the US had picked New Zealand as one of three places where a large amount of research effort and money will be spent on understanding subduction plate boundary phenomena over the next decade.

The foundation chose New Zealand largely because of the high level of tectonic research that has already been done here by New Zealand-based scientists, and the outstanding opportunities for establishing productive collaborations between US and New Zealand scientists.

New Zealand's substantial investment in scientific infrastructure, such as the GeoNet monitoring network, also made New Zealand a compelling location for subduction zone research.

Plan to drill into marine volcano.
It reads like something out of science fiction: an active underwater volcano, a team of international experts - and a giant drill.

To scientists, the Brothers Volcano represents the world's best opportunity to understand how magmatic hydrothermal systems work within submarine volcanos.

The volcano, 400km northeast of White Island, is perhaps the best mapped and understood submarine volcano known to science.

Three kilometres wide and with a highest peak 1.2km below sea level, Brothers is the most hydrothermally active of all the volcanoes along the Kermadec Arc - itself arguably the most active chain of submarine volcanoes in the world.

It continually throws up dark, metal-rich plumes of dissolved minerals which, when hitting cold seawater, precipitate out and gather on the sea floor.

As this reaction occurs it can also build "chimneys" rich in metals above the vents.

One of two vent fields that sharply contrast in their chemistry is responsible for large mineral deposits of copper and gold.

By drilling into the volcano, scientists hope to unlock the secrets of its magma chamber, test computer models of its sea floor hydro-thermal plumbing, find out about the transport of precious metals inside the volcano, and assess diversity of microbial life within the volcano.

GNS Science research geologist Dr Cornel de Ronde said the main aim was to recover several hundred metres of drill core from inside the volcano for analysis. Instruments would be inserted in the holes.

"The project will improve the understanding of processes such as the transport of metals from magmas to the sea floor," he said.

A pre-proposal was recently submitted to the Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme, a consortium of 25 countries, which would assess the project before deciding whether to call for a full proposal.

If it was approved, it was unlikely the project would kick off before 2016 and it could cost up to $10 million, which would be borne by the panel.

NZ may hold key to silent quake puzzle
For scientists striving to solve the mystery of newly-discovered "silent" earthquakes, the key to the puzzle might be hidden just off the east coast of the North Island.

These quakes, also known as slow-slip quakes, represent movement between tectonic plate boundaries over periods of weeks or months, rather than in a single large thrust.

They have been detected at extremely shallow depths off the coasts of Gisborne and Hawkes Bay at the Hikurangi subduction zone - a plate boundary fault where one plate dives or "subducts" under another.

Large quakes in such subduction zones also pose the threat of tsunami - such a scenario near the coast of New Zealand could swamp coastal populations with less than an hour's notice.

But little is known about silent quakes, which have been documented across the world and usually happen well below the earth's surface - sometimes as far down as 40km.

The Hikurangi zone offered scientists an opportunity to learn more about these quakes as it could be directly accessed with ocean drilling methods, said Dr Laura Wallace of the University of Texas. - NZ Herald.

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: The Global Volcano Report For April 13, 2013 - Updates On Popocatépetl, Galeras, Ruapehu, Nevado del Ruiz, And Etna!

April 13, 2013 - WORLDWIDE VOLCANOES - The following constitutes the new activity, unrest and ongoing reports of volcanoes across the globe.

Webcam image of the New SE crataer with the suspected new vent (bluish degassing) at its base

Etna (Sicily, Italy): Following yesterday's paroxysm, it seems that a new effusive vent has opened at the SE base of the New SE crater.

Ruapehu (North Island): GNS reported that "the temperature of Crater Lake has started to rise and has now reached 30°C. It has been accompanied by some minor volcanic tremor. The chemistry data from our last sampling trip confirms the decline of temperature in the deep geothermal system.

Volcanologist Brad Scott said these data indicate the Crater Lake is returning to a more typical state, where heat and gas flow from depth is entering the lake. The anomaly of higher heat at depth and cooler temperatures in the lake appears to have passed. However the volcano remains in unrest and eruptions could still occur with no warning."

Current webcam image of Popocatépetl seen from the south (CENAPRED).

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): A phase of stronger, continuous emissions has started short time ago, accompanied by strong tremor.

Ash emission from Galeras on 11 March 2013 (INGEOMINAS).

Current seismic signal from Popocatépetl.

Over the past days, the volcano had been relatively calm, with 1-2 weak gas-steam-ash explosions per hour.

Galeras (Colombia): Small ash explosions continue to occur almost each day.

Steam plume rising from Ruiz yesterday (INGEOMINAS).

Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): A (probably shallow) seismic swarm is in progress at the volcano. As INGEOMINAS mentioned in its latest report yesterday, a weak continuous tremor signal continues to be recorded, associated with elevated steaming and light ash venting, creating a plume rising about 1600 m above the volcano.

Complete Earthquake list (worldwide) for April 13, 2013.


- Volcano Discovery.

GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS: New Zealand Suffering From Biggest Drought In 30 Years - Farmers Slaughtering Animals In Mass Due To Lack Of Food; 1 Billion In Lost Export Earnings!

March 16, 2013 - NEW ZEALAND - Dairy farmer John Rose has sent more than 100 of his cows to the slaughterhouse over recent weeks as a severe drought browned pastures in New Zealand's normally verdant North Island.

He had to thin his herd so the remaining 550 cows have enough to eat, and he's supplementing their diet with ground palm kernel as the grass in his fields withers.

In this photo taken on March 11, 2013, farmer Peter Brown walks on the dry ground at his dairy farm near Ohinewai, New Zealand. A drought in New Zealand’s North Island is costing farmers millions of dollars each day and is beginning to take a toll on the country’s economy. (AP Photo/New Zealand Herald, Brett Phibbs)

"We try and make sure they've got water and shade during the day and do the best we can for them," he said. "It's very hard to remember when the last rainfall was."

The drought is costing farmers millions of dollars each day and is beginning to take a toll on New Zealand's economy. On Friday, the government officially declared its most widespread drought in at least 30 years.

Parts of the North Island are drier than they've been in 70 years and some scientists say the unusual weather could be a harbinger of climate change. There has been little significant rainfall in the northern and eastern parts of the country since October.

Still, some are finding the dry, sun soaked days a boon. Vintners call the conditions perfect. And city dwellers are reveling in eating lunch outdoors or spending evenings at the beach in a Southern Hemisphere summer that never seems to end.

Farmers estimate the drought has so far cost them about 1 billion New Zealand dollars ($820 million) in lost export earnings with the damage rising daily as they reduce their herds, which in turn reduces milk production.

Farming, and dairy cows in particular, drives the economy in the island nation of 4.5 million and the drought is expected to shave about a percentage point off economic growth.

New Zealand's last significant drought was five years ago and also cost farmers billions of dollars.

Bruce Wills, president of farming association Federated Farmers, said North Island slaughterhouses are processing about 40 percent more cows and sheep this year as farmers reduce their herds. The increased numbers and lighter weight of the animals has resulted in plummeting prices, he said.

North Island farmers are also sending stock to the South Island, which hasn't been so affected. Wills said farmers have sent 1.5 million lambs and other stock on ferries to the South Island to graze or be slaughtered there.

"One of the challenges with a drought is that the impact can go on for a number of years," he said. "We'll have a lower lambing percentage next year because there hasn't been enough feed this year," he said of the impact on animal fertility.

The official government designation of a drought provides farmers some financial relief through increased government funding of rural groups and tax breaks. Farmers facing serious financial hardship will also be eligible to apply for temporary unemployment benefits.

"It's a very serious problem," said lawmaker David Shearer. "It's obviously affecting farmers, but the other part is it's also going to flow through to our rural communities — the retail shops and the businesses."

Bill English, the country's finance minister, said that despite the economic difficulties caused by the drought, he believes the government can still maintain its goal of returning the national budget to surplus by the year beginning July 2014. The country was sent into the red after the 2008 global financial crisis.

James Renwick, a climate scientist at Victoria University of Wellington, said New Zealanders should expect more summers like the current one due to global warming. He said the dry subtropical weather that helps forms deserts in places like Africa and Australia is expanding toward the world's poles.

He said the risk of drought in New Zealand will keep increasing and water resources will become more stretched. He said that in certain places, dairy cows, with their reliance on abundant water, may not be as viable in years to come but that other more drought-resistant crops and species could replace them.

"We may need to change our approach to farming," Renwick said. "Whatever the climate is, there's always something you can do."

Like, perhaps, growing grapes.

"The weather for us is stunningly good," said Philip Gregan, the chief executive of New Zealand Wine, an association representing grape growers and winemakers. "We're getting warm, dry, cooler nights. It's the perfect recipe for fully ripe fruit with fabulous flavors."

Gregan said winemakers across the country are expecting an excellent vintage as the annual grape harvest begins.

New Zealand's sauvignon blanc is well-regarded internationally, but the industry remains small when compared to farming. Winemaking accounts for about 1.2 billion New Zealand dollars ($1 billion) in exports while farming accounts for about 25 billion New Zealand dollars ($20.6 billion).

The sunny weather in the capital city Wellington has been drawing thousands of tourists and office workers to the waterfront.

Simon Edmonds, who owns the waterfront cafe Tuatua, said late summer business is up 30 to 40 percent over the same time last year. But, he said, locals seem to have become so accustomed to sunny days this year that they're not arriving in the same numbers as they did on fine days in previous years.

"People can't go out and buy lunch every single day," he said.

Some relief may come with rain in the forecast on Sunday — although one dousing won't be nearly enough to undo the drought.

For Rose, the dairy farmer, the end of the golden weather can't come quick enough. - NBC News.

PLANETARY TREMORS: Series of Moderate to Strong Tremors Across The Globe - New Zealand Rocked By Quakes, 5.6 Earthquake Rocks Southwest China, 5.5 Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Philippines, 5.5 Quake Strikes Russia, Magnitude 5.1 Hits Nicaragua, And Pair Of 4+ Magnitude Earthquakes Shakes Costa Rica!

January 20, 2013 - NEW ZEALAND - Earthquakes have been felt around New Zealand during the weekend including a magnitude 5.2 tremor in Taranaki and one measuring 4.7 in Canterbury. The Taranaki quake was centred 25 kilometres west of Waverley at a depth of 138km. It was recorded at 1.45pm, local time on Sunday.  GeoNet received 2239 reports from people who felt the quake throughout the country from Southland to the Bay of Islands. 

New Zealand Rocked By Quakes - Aftershocks Likely Following 4.6 Earthquake.

The Fire Service and Civil Defence said there were no reports of damage.  More than 3000 Christchurch residents reported feeling a magnitude 4.6 earthquake on Saturday night.  It struck at 9.15pm, 20km west of the city at a shallow depth of 10km.  There were no reports of damage.  People took to social media to report their experiences, 3357 of them saying they felt the temblor on the GeoNet website.  The quake was part of a sequence the city had experienced, Mark Chadwick, the duty seismologist at GeoNet told AAP on Sunday.  He said the quake was the biggest in Christchurch this year and the aftershocks would be smaller.  "The aftershocks create aftershocks," he said.  It was followed by a quake measuring 3.6, 15km east of Methven, a township on the Canterbury plains 90km west of Christchurch, at 7.09am on Sunday. This was probably an aftershock of the original 2010 quake, Mr Chadwick said.  On September 4, 2010, at 4.35am, a quake of magnitude 7.1 struck Christchurch. It has since been followed by major earthquake events on Boxing Day 2010, February 22, 2011 and June 13, 2011.  A deep 4.7 quake also woke residents on the Kapiti Coast north of Wellington about 5am on Saturday but there were no reports of damage.  A series of light earthquakes measuring from 3.4 to 3.6 shook Tolaga Bay on the East Cape on Sunday. - Herald Sun.

Magnitude 5.2 Earthquake Near Waveley - Taranaki, North Island Has Been Shaken Again.

 The GNS website assesses the quake, at 1.45pm,  as of light intensity and a magnitude of 5.2.  The quake was initially thought to be centred 20km south of Hawera at a depth of 135km, but has since been updated by GeoNet showing it was centred 138km deep and 25km west of Waverley.  The GeoNet felt report shows people as far north at Auckland and as far south as Dunedin felt the quake.  People quickly turned to Facebook to share what they had felt and many described it as a 'sharp jolt then a rolling'.  "That was the strongest I've felt since the deep Opunake one some months ago. It certainly wasn't "light". It shook a lot of the stuff here around, and I see it was felt from North Auckland to Dunedin," Ngaire O'Leary commented on the Taranaki Daily News Facebook page  "Most definitely (felt it). Woke me up from my sleep. Thought it may have been someone playing a prank on me at first but then realised and enjoyed the ride! Fascinating stuff," Mitch Kemp said.  "Yep felt strongly in westown. House shook, woke my 8 month old and had myself and my 6 y/o running for the doorway!," Kate Johnston said.  Taranaki Civil Defence said there had been no reports of damage.  The region has been hit by several quakes since a shallow magnitude 4.3 quake struck 25 km north-west of Opunake in the early hours of New Year's Day.  Since then almost an earthquake a day has been recorded, with most centred off Opunake. - Stuff.

Magnitude 5.1 Hits Nicaragua.

A strong 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit southwest of Jiquilillo, Nicaragua at 19:10:11 UTC. The tremor was located at 12.629°N 87.737°W with a depth of 87.3km (54.2miles). The epicentre was 61km (38miles) west of El Viejo, Nicaragua; 63km (39mi) northwest of Corinto, Nicaragua;  65km (40miles) west of Chinandega, Nicaragua; and 170km (106miles) southwest of Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

However, some buildings of local residents surrounding the
epicentre were damaged in the quake, the report said. AP.

5.6 Earthquake Rocks Southwest China.

A moderate intensity earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter Scale tonight hit a Tibetan county in southwest China, state media reported. The earthquake hit the Baiyu County in Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze at 8:42 pm, said China Earthquake Networks Center. There have been no reports of casualties, as the epicentre is located in a remote region where traffic is backward and telephone communication is unavailable, state-run Xinhua reported quoting local government officials.  However, some buildings of local residents surrounding the epicentre were damaged in the quake, the report said. - First Post.

5.5 Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Samar, Philippines.

A 5.5 magnitude earthquake shook Samar island at 9:48 p.m. Saturday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.  There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the quake that struck 15 kilometers southwest of Balangkayan, Eastern Samar.  It was felt at varying intensities in the following areas: 

• Intensity V- Borongan, Eastern Samar; Llorente, E. Samar        
• Intensity IV- Tacloban City; Palo. Leyte; Basey, W. Samar
• Intensity III- Abuyog, Leyte
• Intensity II – St. Bernard, S. Leyte
• Intensity I- Surigao City - Inquirer.

Archive image.

Pair Of 4+ Magnitude Earthquakes Shook Costa Rica Last Night.

 A pair of earthquakes, one measuring 4.6 and the other 4.1 on the Richter scale, shook Costa Ricans last night.  Dozens of residents immediately reported the earthquakes via social media to the National Volcanology and Seismology Observatory and the National Seismology Network.     According to the National Seismology Network, the first quake, measuring 4.6 magnitude, occurred at 7:50 pm. The epicenter was located southwest of Samara, in Guanacaste, at 11 kilometers of depth. It was felt in the entire Osa Peninsula.     The second quake was reported at 8:21 pm, with a magnitude of 4.1 on the Richter scale, and its epicenter was located southwest of Quepos. Both earthquakes were caused by subduction of the Cocos plate. - Inside Costa Rica.

5.5 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Russia.

A magnitude 5.5 earhquake struck east of Ust'-Nera, Russia today at 10:48:47 UTC. The quake was located at 64.791°N 146.601°E with a depth of 12.2km (7.6miles). The epicentre was at a distance of164km (102miles) east of Ust'-Nera, Russia; 621km (386miles) northwest of Magadan, Russia; 890km (553mi) northeast of Markha, Russia; 893km (555miles) northeast of Yakutsk, Russia; 3010km (1870miles) northeast of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

FIRE IN THE SKY: Solar System Disturbances - Fiery "Meteor" Blazes Across the Night Skies of New Zealand!

Reports have come in of a bright light seen moving over the sky in Wellington and Christchurch.

There have been numerous reports of what appears to be a meteor shooting across the sky in the South Island and lower North Island. Sightings of a "ball of coloured flame" or "silver fireball" have been witnessed in Christchurch, Whanganui, Wellington, Kapiti Coast, Nelson and Kaikoura between 6pm and 7pm on Monday. One witness in Canterbury wrote on Weatherwatch.co.nz: "Was like a flying ball left with a jet stream sort of thing in the sky and was really bright!"

"Fantastically big, bright, and racing across the sky," said another witness in Otaki, Kapiti Coast. Simon Holtham wrote on the website: "I saw this too, it was like something out of a movie, ball of coloured flame shooting towards the earth from west to east, a couple of flashes, lots of smoke which stayed in the sky for ages, and then gone." Another person said: "Seen bright light flying in high speed with huge tail over looking the Cook Strait." - 3 News.

WATCH: Meteor over New Zealand.

GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL: Massive Landslide at Waioeka Gorge in New Zealand - Roads Could be Closed For Six Weeks!

Last week, a landslide occurred on the main road out of Gisborne in the North Island of New Zealand, which blocked the Waioeka Gorge.  Remarkably, the landslide was captured with a high quality video. The slip dropped without much warning. According to officials, the gorge, which is used to link Gisborne and the Bay of Plenty, could be closed for up to six weeks after the landslide.

WATCH: Stabilized version of the landslide.