Dual earthquakes today have re-awakened the earthquake swarm just off Whitianga. The first was a M2.5 at 6:20am and then a 2nd larger M3.0 at 1:08pm that was felt in Whitianga.
17,000 years ago, during the Ice age when the coastline was 120 metres lower and 40km further east, a river flowed through Mercury Bay from the Coromandel Ranges. This swarm is occurring under where this river flowed to the old coastline, so there is most likely to be an old fault in this location. More about these old rivers here.
That brings the swarm’s total to 22 quakes since mid-August.
