An earthquake near the Central Plateau town of Raetihi this morning measured 5.2 on the Richter scale.
Dr Ken Gledhill from the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences said the quake, which occurred at 6.22am about 30km northwest of the town, was 150km deep and unlikely to have caused any damage.
"I don't expect it would have been felt very much," he said.
That quake and other smaller ripples were the result of the Pacific plate being "pushed under" the Australian plate, which was part of a "very long-term" event.
More interesting to seismologists was a smaller quake in Northland on Thursday, he said.
"This is extremely unusual...
"People in Northland will tell you they never get earthquakes and certainly Northland is a long way from the action."
The early morning quake was centred near the Hokianga Harbour and measured 4.4 on the Richter scale.
It was followed by an after-shock of 3.6 on Friday.
"People complained a lot but there wasn't actually too much damage -- just a few tins falling off shelves I think."
Seismic activity still occurred occasionally in "intraplate areas" as a result of localised forces building up and releasing, Dr Gledhill said.
- NZPA
Quake hits central North Island
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.