Moderate earthquakes shake New Zealand

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Two moderate earthquakes rocked the small township of Hanmer in New Zealand's central South Island Thursday, shaking goods from store shelves but causing no major damage or injuries. The first tremblor, at 8:55 a.m. NZT (2055 GMT) was centered 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the township and was measured at magnitude 4.9. A second 17 minutes later had an epicenter 3 miles (5 kilometers) north of Hanmer and was magnitude 4.1, seismologists said. Both quakes were relatively shallow at 7 miles (12 kilometers) and 6 miles (10 kilometers) deep. Store owner Kelly Whittleston said the first quake was a "big hit" which tossed bottles and tins from shelves. The second caused no further damage. A third tremblor measuring 5.8 struck off the east coast of New Zealand's North Island at 9:33 a.m. NZT (2133 GMT) but was at a depth of 81 miles (130 kilometers) and was not widely felt, according to geological agency GNS Science.