Tsunami warning raised again after third powerful earthquake hit off the coast of North Island, NZ .A third powerful earthquake hit off the coast of North Island, New Zealand on Friday, 5 March 2021, 7:28 am local time. This magnitude 8.1 quake occurred near the Kermadec Islands about 880 km north of New Zealand, at a depth of 20-24 km.
Although this quake was not much felt in the nearby North Island, the New Zealand National Emergency Management Agency urged people in some areas to head for higher ground. A tsunami warning was raised over several coastal areas of both North and South Island, New Zealand.
The tsunami warning was lifted later that day, at around 1:40 pm local time. According to the latest tsunami threat message from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), they have measured tsunami waves as far as the French Polynesia more than 3000 km northeast of the earthquake epicenter. The northern coast of New Zealand’s North Island was hit by tsunami waves of about 0.16 meters high. These areas hit include the coasts from North Cape to East Cape.
No significant damage has been reported.
According to the USGS( United States Geological Survey , the earthquake resulted from a reverse faulting in the Tonga-Kermadec subduction zone at a depth of about 22 km. USGS was also able to identify the earlier 7.4 quake as a foreshock preceding this quake by nearly 2 hours. The first of the three major earthquakes, which occurred 6 hours prior the second quake, did not directly cause the second and third quakes.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said.”Do not stay at home,People near the coast… must move immediately to the nearest high ground, out of all tsunami evacuation zones, or as far inland as possible.”
The Hawke’s Bay Region Civil Defence and Emergency Management Group (Hawke’s Bay Region CDEM Group) updates UPDATE 1454hrs, 05/03/2021 says, “Please continue to take care around our Hawke’s Bay waterways. If you are near the sea stay out of the water, off beaches and shore areas, and away from harbours, rivers and estuaries until told otherwise.We are continuing to monitor tsunami activity and currents, and will update you when the threat has passed. This information will be passed onto you as soon as we have it.”
No damage or injuries were reported from the earlier quakes, both of which generated tsunami warnings that were later lifted.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand given an early morning wake-up message to public in Instagram after initial shake at 2,27AM .”Hope everyone is ok out there — especially on the East Coast who would have felt the full force of that earthquake,”
West coast emergency management updated on Friday, 5 March 2021 (GMT+13), 3.45pm that, “MARINE AND BEACH THREAT TO WEST COAST CANCELLED”and it added“The National Advisory issued following this morning’s earthquakes near the KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION is cancelled”