Swarm of quakes hit Turangi

An earthquake swarm is taking place in Turangi with the biggest quake so far being of magnitude 4.5.

The 4.5 quake was at a shallow 5km depth. It took place 10km north-west of Turangi on Thursday. The shaking was felt widely with reports coming from all over the North Island and some in the South Island too. Turangi lies on the southern shores of Lake Taupo in the central North Island. This lake is one of New Zealand’s super volcanoes.

800 quakes have hit the Taupo area since mid-February. Whether this is related to tectonic forces or volcanic forces is unknown, but is likely to be the former.