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Sunday, January 19, 2014

6.3 Earthquake Rattles New Zealand Monday Jan 20,2014

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 has rattled New Zealand's North Island, but there are no reports so far of major damage or serious injury.
The quake struck 38km (24 miles) north-east of Masterton at 15:52 local time (02:52 GMT)Monday Jan 20,2014, US Geological Survey said.
Residents described major shaking, goods tumbling off shelves and pictures knocked askew

A sculpture of a giant eagle suspended from the roof at Wellington airport fell to the ground, local media said.

Shaking was felt in much of central New Zealand, including in the capital, Wellington.
Wellington rail operator Tranz Metro said that all train services were suspended as a result of the earthquake, and would be replaced by buses.
Local media said there were reports of broken chimneys and windows in rural areas close to the epicentre of the quake, which hit at a depth of 27km (17 miles).

Pictures show goods thrown from shelves and food shaken from fridges.

Note
New Zealand is located on the boundary of two tectonic plates - the Pacific and Australian plates - and experiences around 14,000 earthquakes a year.
In 2011, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit the city of Christchurch, in the South Island, killing 185 people




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