‘Severe’ 6.3 earthquake strikes NZ East Coast – Geonet blames ghost

THIS IS WHAT WE REPORTED FROM THE GEONET SITE:
New Zealand’s East Cape of the North Island has been hit with what Geonet Science is describing as a “severe” magnitude 6.3 earthquake at a depth of only 12km.

The tremor is centred 10km southwest of Tokomaru Bay.

The area was simultaneously hit with a magnitude 4.7 shock at the same moment, only 5km deep and centred 25km west of Tokomaru Bay.

Both quakes struck at 4.20pm NZST.

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED:

Geonet is blaming ghosting in its seismic equipment for an “earthquake” that triggered a National Civil Defence Alert at 4.30pm today.

The quake struck at the Kermadec Islands north east of New Zealand at 4.16pm, but shockwaves it sent through the planetary crust re-registered the event as a magnitude 6.3 quake on the New Zealand mainland at 4.20pm.

Geonet’s advisories triggered a national civil defence alert, but Geonet says the two “earthquakes” appear to have been shadows of the initial event, that fooled NZ seismographs into thinking they were local quakes.