h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I was just in an earthquake (well, a few hours ago). It was a reasonable size (7.8) and lasted a really long time (maybe a couple of minutes). I was on the phone to a friend so I got to give her a running commentary while I tried to put my trousers on in case the world was about to end.

It did one of those cool slidey under your feet things near the end. I'd been in a bigger earthquake a few years ago that was really scarey not least because it was long and near the end it got suddenly really much stronger, so I was a bit worried about this one too.

All's well though.

My friend and I kept talking for a few hours. I just had a look online at the reports and see that a tsunami warning was issued. we forgot about that. I'm inland but my mate is half a block from the sea. Ooops Turns out it was just a wee one.


So the BBC online has a report up quickly which is interesting (we've had at least one tsunami warning in the past where people in NZ knew about the warning from international media before NZ Civil Defense ).

I'm still trying to figure out the should you go outside in an earthquake thing. We were always taught to stand in a doorway or hide under a heavy table. But I think in a quake big enough to collapse a house I'd want to be outside (unless I was in a city of course). The big quake I was in a few years ago was big enough to make me try and get outside.

Hi Kea

It has just been on the lunchtime news here in the UK and they were saying that a Tsunami warning has been given.

Head for the hills

7.8 is quite powerful. I have only ever experienced one in the UK. It was about 3 on the scale, happened under Birmingham and I felt it in North Wales about 100 miles away. I thought it was our daughter falling out of bed

t.

Yeah 7.8 is quite big. They don't seem to do any damage here though. I'm not sure why. Overseas in earthquakes that big people die. Maybe it's the mountains here, or the sea?

I asked on SEx about that:

F2124165?thread=6758125

Glad you're ok Kea. Goes to show how this place gets in your head, when I heard the news I did go 'oh no! i hope Kea's ok!'

I'd not heard of that. I've never been in any kind of earthquake, even a tiny one, but I did have nightmares about them as a child, for some reason.

Glad you're safe and sound, kea. And I have no idea why they don't do damage in NZ.

TRiG.

Thanks Robyn. Was that on the radio? How interesting that they think that's news. I suppose it sounds very big.


TRiG, I think NZ maybe still is rubbish coming up off the ocean I'm looking forward to the rest of that, thanks

It was Radio four - they tend to talk about interesting things rather than 'entertainment' news...

BBC online have a box at the bottom of the news item where you can tell them if you were in the area and how you were affected. That's a bit tempting

Yeah! Go and plug hootoo!

"It was a bit scary, pretty cool and gave me something exciting to talk about on bbc.co.uk/H2G2..."

Yeah, and who then kept me up all night online

At least the quakes seem to have stopped

Yeah I felt it here too. We're a long way from the epicentre, but I was sitting on the loo and felt the waves of movement.

We're advised to go into a doorway, Kea.

That's interesting. My friend, who's not too far from you didn't feel it all. Maybe she was just enthralled with my gripping blow by blow account

I think I just happened to be sitting somewhere reliably solid I felt quite disconcerted actually and initially thought I was starting to come down with the flu or one of the other nice viruses that are doing the rounds in Canty. It wasn't until this morning that I put two and two together

About half of the folk in the office felt it. Others - not a sausage.

It looks like the Shaky Isles are living up to their nickname... I'm rather glad you're OK, both of you.

You know you don't really hear that term for NZ here. According to w*k* Australians are much more familiar with it. I like it though.

Have there been many aftershocks?

Oh, yeah, heaps. I've felt maybe 6 or 8 since Weds. They're saying they're quite big for aftershocks too, up into the five point something range sometimes (those will be the ones I am feeling).

http://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/quakes/recent_quakes.html

They've also been saying on the news that the 7.8 wasn't The Big One, that is apparently due any day now (maybe its overdue). I think there's been a build up of pressure in the fault line for several centuries and it's going to break at some point. That's the one they expect to flatten Wellington (which is on the faultline), but maybe only if the epicentre is there? This one on Weds wasn't on the faultline* which maybe explains why it didn't do any damage.

*not the main faultline I guess is what they mean, there are a whole bunch of them at the bottom of the south island.

In that link, it's the stars in the bottom left hand corner. West of Tuatapere is their location on the list, although the ones near Te Anau (a few stars further up the west coast) will be felt in the bottom half of the south island too.

That's all rather troubling, really.

It's safe to assume that the NZ Building Code pays a lot of attention to quake-proofing things...