Wellington: A moderate magnitude 5.6 earthquake rumbled nder New Zealand's central North Island early today, but police reported no damage or injuries. The quake was recorded near Lake Taupo at 7:03 a.m. local time (2333 IST Friday) at a depth of 80 kilometers, geological agency GNS Science reported. "Nothing rattled," said Taupo police watchhouse assistant Tania Lord.
"I haven't heard from anybody who actually felt it." Today's trembler followed a 5.5 magnitude quake in the same area Thursday. No injury or damage was reported after the earlier quake. GNS Science duty seismologist Bryan Fielz said the quakes were "nothing out of the ordinary" and their depth likely had prevented damage. "They are in similar positions, but New Zealand has between 15,000 and 20,000 earthquakes in a bog-standard year and you would expect 10 or 20 of this (size) a year," he said.
A magnitude 6.8 quake rocked North Island s coastal city of Gisborne on December 20,wrecking some buildings and roofs and causing damage estimated at 30 million New Zealand dollars (USD 23 million). Sixteen people were treated for minor injuries.
