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A string of earthquakes has jolted parts of New Zealand - but seismologists say the activity is nothing to worry about.
The latest rumbles followed the magnitude 7.3 quake that struck near the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands on Sunday evening.
GNS science recorded five earthquakes on Monday, from Mount Cook to Turangi.
A magnitude 4.1 quake that struck Mount Cook at 5.25pm was 30km north of the mountain and 2km below ground.
Earlier in the afternoon, another measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale shook the central North Island. The quake, at 3.12pm, was centred 10km northeast of Turangi and 5km deep.
At 6.20pm, a smaller quake, of 2.8, hit 20km northeast of Turangi at a depth of 5km.
A 3.7 magnitude quake hit 20km south of Porangahau, Waipukurau, at a depth of 25km, at 11.05pm.
Then, at 11.46pm, a 3.9 quake struck 30km southwest of Takaka at a depth of 5km.
GNS science seismologist Nora Patterson said aside from the two quakes near Turangi, the earthquakes were not connected as their epicentres were too far apart. It was likely the second smaller quake in Turangi was an aftershock, she said.
New Zealand generally had about four quakes a week, so there were more quakes than normal, but they were "purely coincidence" and there was no cause for any alarm, Ms Patterson said.
The 7.3 quake on Sunday happened at 6.23pm at a depth of 12km, GNS science reported. It was centred 220km northwest of the uninhabited Auckland Islands, 475km southwest of Invercargill. A tsunami warning was issued for Australia but, while sealevel fluctuations were measured in Tasmanian waters, warnings were downgraded.
- NZPA
