Strong 6.0 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Near Geraldine, New Zealand

A big shake up happened in New Zealand’s South Island when a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 hit near Geraldine. It happened at 09:14 am local time. Thankfully, no one got hurt, and there wasn’t much damage reported.

At first, experts from the US Geological Survey thought it was a 5.6 magnitude quake.But later New Zealand’s GeoNet, which keeps an eye on these things, said it was a 6.0.

The earthquake was pretty close to the surface. Only 11 kilometers deep. Imagine it happening just 7 miles below the ground.

People in Geraldine felt it really closely. Rebecca Chapman, who was at a café, said the lights were shaking, but nothing broke. For some folks, it was a scary reminder of the big earthquake in Christchurch back in 2011. Which was really scary and destructive.

Sarah Hussey, who lives close to where the earthquake happened. she said it felt stronger than others she’d felt before. She even mentioned that her house seemed to lift up for a moment. That must have been quite scary.

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The good news is that Scott Shannon, the deputy mayor of Timaru, which is near the epicenter, said there weren’t any immediate reports of damage. They were checking to make sure everything was still safe.

This earthquake is a big deal because it’s the largest one recorded in New Zealand this year. It’s especially significant because it happened near where that devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit in 2011, causing a lot of damage and taking many lives.

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New Zealand is in a place where tectonic plates meet. Which is called the Pacific Ring of Fire. That’s why they have a lot of earthquakes and volcanoes. But they’re always ready to keep people safe when these things happen. It’s important to be prepared and protect everyone who lives there.