On Thursday, a noteworthy seismic event measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale occurred near Geraldine in the heart of New Zealand’s South Island, according to Geonet, the government’s seismic monitoring agency. The earthquake struck at 9:14 a.m. local time (2114 GMT) on Wednesday, with a focal depth of 11 km (7 miles). While more than 14,000 individuals reported feeling the tremor, extending as far north as Auckland on the North Island, there have been no reports of injuries or substantial damage.
Sarah Hussey, a local farmer near the epicenter, described the quake as more intense than her previous experiences. She remarked, “There’s no visible damage here, but initially, I mistook it for thunder. The house briefly lifted.”
Scott Shannon, the deputy mayor of Timaru, located near the quake’s epicenter, stated that there were no immediate damage reports but ongoing checks were being conducted.
This seismic event struck close to the location where a devastating 6.3-magnitude earthquake occurred in 2011, resulting in 185 fatalities and widespread destruction in the South Island city of Christchurch.
