Each dot represents an earthquake recorded by GeoNet. Photo / GeoNet
Five years on from the deadly earthquake in Christchurch, residents woke up this morning to yet another tremor, one of more than 10,000 since February 22, 2011.
GeoNet seismologist John Ristau told the Herald this morning that there had been 10,001 earthquakes in the Canterbury earthquake region since the 6.2 magnitude quake that killed 185 people.
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This morning's 2.7 magnitude shake was located 5km northeast of Christchurch and was 11km deep.
It struck just after 5.30am and was described by GeoNet as weak.
The thousands of earthquakes over the past five years have ranged from magnitude 1.1 to magnitude 6.2.
A GeoNet image plots the earthquakes in order of most recent to oldest, meaning the least recent events are on top.
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Since most of the largest aftershocks occurred in the early days, Mr Ristau said, this way of plotting put most of the largest earthquakes on top, but the size of the dots does obscure the smaller earthquakes.
Mr Ristau said since the February 22 earthquake there has been a fair amount of activity in the Canterbury Plains west of Christchurch, but less than there had been in the five and a half months between the September 2010 magnitude 7.1 Darfield earthquake and the Christchurch earthquake in 2011.
He said there have been a large number of aftershocks extending northeast into Pegasus Bay, and southeast towards Banks Peninsula.
A man known to the victim has been charged with assault.