North Island, New Zealand: Magnitude 4.7 earthquake hits Wellington hours before test match between Australia and New Zealand
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake has rocked New Zealand’s North Island.
The earthquake occurred near Wellington, just before the first Australia-New Zealand cricket test match of the year.
The earthquake started at 5.18am on Thursday, 5km north of Upper Hutt and 33km north of Wellington.
The depth of the earthquake was 23 km according to the earthquake aggregate website GeoNet.
The website described the shaking as “moderate” and received more than 11,000 felt reports from citizens after it happened.
The earthquake struck at 5.18am on Thursday morning on New Zealand’s lower north island, near Wellington
About 3,700 of these reports called the earthquake weak, 5,000 called it mild, and 2,000 called it moderate.
Only 150 people called the earthquake powerful.
The Test match will go ahead as planned.
“Remember that dropping, covering and holding on is the correct action in an earthquake and if you are in bed, cover your head,” GeoNet said on social media.
Seismology Research Center chief scientist Adam Pascale shared news.com.au the depth of the earthquake meant it was likely to cause only cosmetic damage.
The earthquake occurred just before the first test cricket match between Australia and New Zealand (see photo of cricket writer Bharat Sundaresan in the social media post)
Ms Pascale also noted that New Zealand expects regular earthquakes across the country.
The scientist also said it was a good reminder for people to remember safety procedures.
The area also received aftershocks within an hour of the earthquake, which were light and weak at magnitudes of 3.6 and 3.0.
Mr Pascale said that depending on the area, aftershocks resulting from an earthquake of magnitude greater than 4.0 could last days to months.
“You’ll see a pattern in a few days,” he said.
Cricket writer Bharat Sundaresan went to the Test match after the earthquake, which did not delay the match at all.
“I can’t believe I slept during an earthquake,” he said.
Former New Zealand cricketer Grant Elliott joked to local sports radio station SENZ that he hoped “the Aussies woke up really early, they’re a bit tired this morning.”