Dec 9 2009 - Wanganui Basin earthquake
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred this morning at 11:09 am.
he earthquake epicentre was about 40 km west of Levin, but with a focal depth of about 50 km, no damage is expected. It has been widely felt from Taranaki through to Marlborough.
The earthquake occurred in the subducting Pacific plate, below its interface with the Australian plate. The rupture was a normal fault, and its location and size are not unusual. The last time a similar earthquake happened was Saturday, December 7 2002 at 7 pm, when a magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck in much the same vicinity.
