Tremors rumble across north and south islands of New Zealand

March 1, 2011 – NEW ZEALAND – This 25-tonne boulder bounced down a hill and smashed its way into Phil Johnson’s house in Heathcote. A 4.6-magnitude aftershock shook Christchurch tonight and a similar sized quake has rattled Wellington- the third most populous city in New Zealand. The aftershock struck 10km south of Christchurch and 10km west of Lyttelton at a depth of 5km, GeoNet reported. There were no reports of damage, Radio New Zealand reported. Meanwhile, a 4.5-magnitude earthquake rattled Wellington. The quake struck at 10:07pm, and was centred 20km northwest of Wellington at a depth of 40km, GeoNet reported. The quake was felt strongly as far north as Otaki and as far south as Blenheim. There were no reports of damage, a Fire Service spokeswoman said. –Stuff.NZ

The geology of New Zealand is morphing as it is for many regions of the world. We predict more seismic instability and turbulence in this region of the Pacific.