NZ Hit with massive 7.9M Quake in South Island

[KiwiElf]

Just now folks & I felt it here - will show in the popup shortly!

http://www.geonet.org.nz/

EDIT - 8 mins later - now downgraded to a 6.6M (USGS showing it as a 7.4M)

===

[ Mod-edit: as best as I can tell from http://www.geonet.org.nz/quakes/region/newzealand/2016p858094, it's currently figured to be a 6.2M quake, so I have changed this thread's title from 7.5M to 6.2M. Holler if I got it wrong :). -- Paul. ]

[ Mod-edit: upgraded to a 7.9 as reviewed by USGS seismologists (http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=545040), Hervé]

[KiwiElf]

Seems to have triggered several other quakes northward from epicenter - Picton - Taupo (unbelievable - showing on just about every News channel except NZ's! LOLOL!)

[KiwiElf]

NZ Herald's Website has released it - 1 hr later and still nothing from NZ's main TV newsites (but is breaking News on SKY TV in Australia)

USGS have now UPgraded the initial quake to a 7.8M

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11747414

[sunpaw]

Tsunami warning issued

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/powerful-magnitude-7-earthquake-christchurch-new-zealand/

Stay safe :heart:

[KiwiElf]

Confirmed - 2m (6ft) wave has hit Kaikoura

[avid]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/86416304/live-north-canterbury-quake
Live local reporting and images coming in constantly.

[sunpaw]

Tsunami Travel Times

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CxJJNrQUkAAIy9h.jpg

[Hervé]

Estimated as a 7.8 here: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us1000778i#executive

M 7.8 - 53km NNE of Amberley, New Zealand (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us1000778i)

PAGER (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us1000778i#pager)

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/images/tsunami.jpg (http://www.tsunami.gov/)
Time 2016-11-13 11:02:56 (UTC)

Location 42.757°S 173.077°E

Depth 23.0 km

... and upgraded as a 7.9 here: http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=545040

[greybeard]

Oh Sh#t
That is masive.
May God help all affected by this.
Chris

[KiwiElf]

Hi Paul - I'm hollering :) - the 6.2 came later and was the main aftershock.

USGS has Upgraded it as a 7.8M and here is the original;

34580

34581

Tsunami warnings now in place for the WHOLE NZ EAST COAST & outside of NZ

[KiwiElf]

Well I'm just over 700 km Nth East of the epicenter and we felt it here (Tauranga) - it must have been pretty bad!

Thanks for the correction Hervé! :) (Would you believe our useless MSM have only now just put a warning up!?) :facepalm:

[ThePythonicCow]

Hi Paul - I'm hollering :) - the 6.2 came later and was the main aftershock.

USGS has Upgraded it as a 7.8M and here is the original;
Thanks, KiwiElf and Hervé !

[Hervé]

...

RjuE9jT04xM

[KiwiElf]

Widespread damage being reported on SKY NEWS with pictures & video - buckled roads, collapsed buildings etc. Fortunately, Hamner Springs is a fairly small town (population approx 840), popular for its thermal hot springs & tourism.

https://www.google.co.nz/#q=hanmer+springs

Wellington, some 200 km north of the epicenter (our capital city) reported severe shaking for 30 sec, smashed windows & powercuts. It is 02:47 am as I write this; the quake struck at 2 mins after midnight so most people were in bed (not now~!)

The first waves have reached 4 meters (12 ft) in some places and were described as "tumultuous" in some harbours near Wellington. These are ongoing and as you can see on the geonet site, we're still getting up to M6 aftershocks and smaller quakes all over the lower Nth Island, 500 km from the epicenter. (and still nothing on our MSM!)

[Althena]

There's 8 Tsunami stations in event mode right now. Scary.

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

UPDATE****

Now there's 9 Tsunami stations in event mode.

[KiwiElf]

Curse of the SuperMoon... now Argentina with a M6.2!

Back in NZ... Local MSM TV now actually reporting something (3.5 hrs after the fact!) :facepalm: Damage is quite significant with main state highway near the area closed off and the Picton Ferry stranded in Wellington Harbour as the boarding ramps have collapsed!

[Althena]

Curse of the SuperMoon... now Argentina with a M6.2!

Back in NZ... Local MSM TV now actually reporting something (3.5 hrs after the fact!) :facepalm: Damage is quite significant with main state highway near the area closed off and the Picton Ferry stranded in Wellington Harbour as the boarding ramps have collapsed!

Argy news channels reporting "No significant damage" All is well here.

[KiwiElf]

Good to know Althena, yours was about 100 km deep. - daylight is about to break here in NZ in about an hour from now but the pictures of the damage we're seeing already is quite significant :(

Reports are saying it was felt from Auckland (near the top) to Invercargill (at the bottom of NZ). Quite a biggie!

[KiwiElf]

***LATEST UPDATE*** video, pictures & full articles at link below:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/

QUICK SUMMARY:

• Kaikoura and several small South Island towns have been left isolated, with water and sewerage systems down and roads and rail lines blocked, after this morning's devastating 7.5 quake

• At least two people have been killed amid reports of other casualties - one victim suffered a heart attack, another was killed in a historic homestead in Canterbury

• Wellington is also badly hit, with damage to buildings and roads - people are being told to avoid the Capital's CBD

• More than 250 aftershocks have hit the South Island and lower North Island in the 12 hours since the quake

• Residents fled homes in the wake of a tsunami threat - police now investigating three cases in which vacant houses were ransacked by burglars

• Students sitting NCEA exams face disruption, delays - scholarship exams called off today

[alexius]

Not sure if anyone else have noticed. This fascinating individual seems to have predicted it all, a couple of weeks ago. Have to say I am a bit confused. I need some help looking into this one..

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f9e_1477112546

Much love N
Blessings
<3

[KiwiElf]

Other stories (and video) you may come across included a massive "lighting up of the sky" as this quake occurred (like lightning, but perhaps something else...) and that it happened shortly after Kerry left NZ for his well-reported trip to Antarctica. Coincidence? ;)