# New Zealand Area 7.4 Earthquake! Less Than An Hour Ago!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-area-7-4-earthquake-less-than-an-hour-ago/356960
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [May 16, 2006, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-area-7-4-earthquake-less-than-an-hour-ago/356960 "2006-05-16T11:47:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2006, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-area-7-4-earthquake-less-than-an-hour-ago/356960/1 "2006-05-16T11:47:48Z")
Link
[http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/usmuah.php](http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/usmuah.php)
New Zealand Pacific Dopers–Go Inland!
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### Author:  [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2006, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-area-7-4-earthquake-less-than-an-hour-ago/356960/2 "2006-05-16T11:53:01Z")
I’m a very bad man and I’m going to hell;
The first thing that came to mind was Carol King’s, “I feel the earth move under my feet…”
🙂
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### Author:  [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2006, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-area-7-4-earthquake-less-than-an-hour-ago/356960/3 "2006-05-16T12:06:27Z")
No civil defence alerts so far. [NZ Civil Defence site.](http://www.civildefence.govt.nz/memwebsite.nsf) And [more on the quake here.](http://www.geonet.org.nz/x2568629g_l.html) **Bosda** , seriously, mate – do please stop panicking, okay? 🙂
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### Author:  [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2006, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-area-7-4-earthquake-less-than-an-hour-ago/356960/4 "2006-05-16T12:19:06Z")
[From here.](http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/wmsg)
> [@](#):
>
> TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 001
> PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
> ISSUED AT 1059Z 16 MAY 2006
>
> THIS BULLETIN IS FOR ALL AREAS OF THE PACIFIC BASIN EXCEPT
> ALASKA - BRITISH COLUMBIA - WASHINGTON - OREGON - CALIFORNIA.
>
> \
>
> NO DESTRUCTIVE PACIFIC-WIDE TSUNAMI THREAT EXISTS BASED ON
> HISTORICAL EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DATA.
>
> HOWEVER - EARTHQUAKES OF THIS SIZE SOMETIMES GENERATE LOCAL
> TSUNAMIS THAT CAN BE DESTRUCTIVE ALONG COASTS LOCATED WITHIN
> A HUNDRED KILOMETERS OF THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. AUTHORITIES
> IN THE REGION OF THE EPICENTER SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS
> POSSIBILITY AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION.
So, looks like we’re okay, **Bosda**. Thanks for the concern, though.
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### Author:  [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2006, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-area-7-4-earthquake-less-than-an-hour-ago/356960/5 "2006-05-16T12:31:15Z")
> [@Ice Wolf](#):
>
> No civil defence alerts so far. [NZ Civil Defence site.](http://www.civildefence.govt.nz/memwebsite.nsf) And [more on the quake here.](http://www.geonet.org.nz/x2568629g_l.html) **Bosda** , seriously, mate – do please stop panicking, okay? 🙂
My apologies, if my concern upset you. :dubious:
I clicked on the US Geological Survey site, & saw an Earthquake Icon, bright red (less than 1 hour old), & the size of a postage stamp on my screen (Quake \>7).
I got the word out as fast as I could.
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### Author:  [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2006, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-area-7-4-earthquake-less-than-an-hour-ago/356960/6 "2006-05-16T19:40:05Z")
:dubious: Didn’t upset me at all, **Bosda** – but unless there is a real tsunami warning in place, don’t you think “Go inland!” could be slightly over the top? That’s how the last schmozzle happened, with the alarmed BBC reports.
Let’s not cry “Wolf!” too often with this thing.
As I said, though – thanks for your concern. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2006, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-area-7-4-earthquake-less-than-an-hour-ago/356960/7 "2006-05-16T21:19:27Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#):
>
> I got the word out as fast as I could.
I’m thinking that anyone that was within say a couple hundred miles of said earthquake already knew about it. 😃
Also being dopers they are smarter than the average bear and took precautions.
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### Author:  [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2006, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-area-7-4-earthquake-less-than-an-hour-ago/356960/8 "2006-05-16T21:59:00Z")
Coincidentally, they’re doing a [Pacific-wide test](http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10382159) on the tsunami warning system today. Good stuff.