Scientists have considered whether the successive quakes were a precursor to something bigger, however, Hanson told Newstalk ZB they’re believed to be isolated.
Earth Sciences NZ’s Jonathan Hanson says the recent magnitude 5-plus earthquakes in New Zealand have been unusually frequent but appear to be unrelated. Photo / Earth Sciences New Zealand
“We’re always looking into that from a scientific point of view. But right now, most of the events over the last couple weeks appear on a geological level to be unrelated.
“They’re occurring in different places within New Zealand’s tectonic regime, and they’re also relatively far apart in terms of the amount of shaking being released.”
Hanson said New Zealand typically experiences about 15 to 20 magnitude 5-plus quakes each year, averaging out to one or two per month, so five in the past month is “a bit of a statistical outlier”.
“Usually, earthquakes don’t come regularly spaced through time,” he said.
“We have these clusters. Most of the time when we see a cluster of events, it’s like an aftershock sequence or there’s something like that happening.
“So this is pretty unique in that they’re all relatively unrelated, and yeah, that’s what we’re thinking about them right now.”
Hanson believed people still had the right to be concerned, with the quakes serving as an important reminder that one could strike anywhere at any time. He noted New Zealand’s seismic activity is also what makes the country so beautifully unique.
“The reason it’s so beautiful, the reason we’re above the water at all, is that we’re kind of straddling a plate boundary.
“So they’re just a great reminder that earthquakes and their related hazards – landslides and tsunami – can happen, they can impact New Zealand, and people should be prepared and have a plan.”
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