This monthlong swarm of earthquakes has been ongoing since 13 February and consists of three major pulses of activity, with about 20 days between them about 10 km west of Turangi, New Zealand. To date, there have been 2339 earthquakes located, 587 since Friday 25 May. Currently, there are no indications that the earthquakes are related to volcanic activity, being located well away from the active volcanoes. But of course, nothing is more unsure! In this new activity phase, there
have been 11 earthquakes over M3, however, none are over M3.5. The events are occurring between about 4 and 12 km depth and most are in the 5-9 km depth range. The Taupo Volcanic Zone is a rifting area, growing wider each year by 6-9 mm. These earthquakes are located on the western boundary of the Zone and are likely to be related to the long-term ‘tectonic’ stretching of the Zone. READ MORE
