While you may think quakes are a western US problem, some of the largest temblors in US history have happened in the East.
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck New Zealand‘s South Island roughly 26 miles south of the town of Te Anau just before 9:15 p.m. local time Thursday, according to USGS.
The quake was relatively deep, with an epicenter around 48 miles below the surface.
FILE – The highest mountain in New Zealand Mount Cook also known as Aoraki is seen at Mount Cook National Park in the South Island, New Zealand, on August 05, 2020. It lies amidst the Southern Alps Mountain range and as of 2020, its height is recorded as 3724m from the sea level. (Photo by Sanka Vidanagama/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
The earthquake prompted New Zealand’s National Emergency Agency to issue a Tsunami Warning for the west coast of the South Island from Milford Sound to Puysegur Point.
“The earthquake may not have been felt in some of these areas, but evacuation should be immediate as a damaging tsunami is possible,” the emergency agency said.
MAGNITUDE 6.3 EARTHQUAKE STRIKES WEST OF LOYALTY ISLANDS IN LATEST PACIFIC RING OF FIRE QUAKE
According to USGS, the quake was felt across much of the southern half of the South Island.
New Zealand sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a 25,000-mile belt of volcanoes and earthquake zones surrounding much of the Pacific Ocean, where about 90% of the world’s earthquakes occur.
