Hi guys, just had a 6.8 earthquake about 5 minutes ago. it shook for a good minute and the earth still hasn't stopped. It peaked at 6.8 for about 30 seconds and just been a light rumble for about the past 6 or 7 minutes. We are all fine just had to hold the TV up from falling

 

Here is the info on the last one:

http://www.geonet.org.nz/quakes/region/newzealand/2013p543824

 

This has been going on for almost 3 days now and they are getting bigger and bigger now. Amazing the power of mother nature as if you think about how heavy the earth is and how easily it can shake like that. the earth is just a shell with a very soft inside and we sit on top of that shell. 

Take care. I hope it calms down.

 

I live about 5 km from the San Andreas Fault in southern California and it's pretty much a waiting game for us. Have not had any rumbles in a very long time and it's way past overdue.

Yep it has been quite in Cali for a while now. We have had about 100 in the past 3 days and three were significant. The last one has cause some damage around Wellington, people are already posting pictures of damage on their Facebook pages.

 

Taryn's mom said her book cases fell over so she has had some damage. I held up the TV which is probably something you are not supposed to do but I didn't feel like replacing it. 

All we need now is another devastating earthquake...this one will bankrupt the country for sure...and insurance will be unattainable!!!

Yep it has been quite in Cali for a while now. We have had about 100 in the past 3 days and three were significant. The last one has cause some damage around Wellington, people are already posting pictures of damage on their Facebook pages.

 

Taryn's mom said her book cases fell over so she has had some damage. I held up the TV which is probably something you are not supposed to do but I didn't feel like replacing it. 

Heya Matthew, 

 

   Having gone through the Loma Prieta quake (6.9, just a hair above yours), I have found that watching the ceiling is a good metric: it the ceiling is flexing, the TV is on its own!!!  

 

   Hope things settle down, down under for ya...   :(

 

JKH

Hope everything is ok with you, Matt! Good luck.

New Zealand just got hit with a 6.5 20min ago also.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usb000iivv#summary

 

Wooh! Sorry same quake. Bet ya in a couple of hours they'll downgrade the Magnitude as usual.

 

Be safe Comrade.

 

 

Having gone through the Loma Prieta quake (6.9, just a hair above yours), I have found that watching the ceiling is a good metric: it the ceiling is flexing, the TV is on its own!!!  

 

Yes this is true, You can tell how bad they are and amazing how quickly you can make a split second decision. I think they are calling that last one a 6.9 now.

 

 

Hope everything is ok with you, Matt! Good luck.

 

Thanks guys, we are safe and damage free but reports of damage around Wellington are starting to come in. Good thing this happened on Sunday Evening when most of the offices are empty as that would have been much worse.

Canadians can't spell....this is from Canadian National News, they've spelt it New Zeland:

 

Another odd news story:

 

 

A severe earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 has erupted in an area 20 kilometers east of Seddon.

Seddon is a suburb 7 km west of Melbourne, Australia, with a population of about 4,851 people. It is located in the state of Victoria on the southeast tip of Australia.  The shock effects of the quake have been felt as far away as Napier, in Western Australia, 3,302 kilometers (2,066 miles) from Melbourne.  This suggests that the path of the quake is along the southern part of Australia.

The intensity of earthquakes is measured by the moment magnitude scale (MMS).  Events with magnitudes greater than 4.5 are strong enough to be recorded by a seismograph anywhere in the world.

The death toll for earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.0 to 6.9 can reach 25,000 people.  A large number of buildings in populated areas can be destroyed.   The damage can be experienced far from the epicenter. (Wikipedia)

The depth of the quake near Seddon, as of 5:09 p.m., was 19km, which is over 11 miles deep.

Earthquakes can occur up to 700 kilometers below the surface.

There is an average of one earthquake per year in Australia with a magnitude of 5 or greater and a depth of 0 to 70 km.  (USGS)

By:  Tom Ukinski

http://guardianlv.com/2013/07/severe-earthquake-strikes-australia/?utm_content=buffer8eb0e&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer

As a child in California, they used to tell us to lay on the ground. Being way too analytical, I asked: "What if the ground opens up beneath us? No answer for that one. Be safe and watch things around you. Very scary event.

Yea they say 'Drop, Cover and Hold' now. A lot of the kids do this and it is the dumb adults like me that don't. I just figure if it is a light one then it is not worth doing, and if it is the big one then you wouldn't have a chance any ways.

Yea they say 'Drop, Cover and Hold' now. A lot of the kids do this and it is the dumb adults like me that don't. I just figure if it is a light one then it is not worth doing, and if it is the big one then you wouldn't have a chance any ways.

 

Be careful and try to stay safe.

As a second grader, living in Anchorage Alaska, I had the fortune (misfortune) of enduring this:

 

http://www.aeic.alaska.edu/quakes/Alaska_1964_earthquake.html

 

It was a life changing event that I recount today as if it were yesterday.  I remember hitting the ceiling then the roof of our sitter's home.  We lived five houses down from the sitter and, when the quake was over, there was a 20 foot wide crevice with a 10 foot tall vertical displacement between our house and the sitters.  The picture of Government Hill Elementary School was the school which I attended.  Since that day, I've walked the earth knowing that we are not in control.  I've lived through hurricanes and tornadoes, but the fear of the earthquake is magnitudes greater.

Thinking of you and yours Matthew.

 

Kind regards,