In breaking news, an earthquake measuring approximately 6.1 on the Richter scale has struck in waters off the coast of New Zealand‘s south island a short time ago.
The US Geological Survey stated that the quake occurred at the shallow depth of 10km, striking some 585km south-west of New Zealand’s south island. The New Zealand Herald reports that the quake caused “moderate shaking” in the southern town of Invercargill.
9:43pm A magnitude 6.1 #earthquake strikes Auckland Island, New Zealand pic.twitter.com/bH109abCOy
— Ed Piotrowski (@EdPiotrowski) September 20, 2017
No tsunami warning was issued in the immediate aftermath of the quake.
This latest earthquake follows a 7.1 magnitude event in Mexico City that has so far killed at least 139 people, with fears many more could be buried in rubble from buildings toppled during the quake.
A string of quakes registering at least 4.0+ have been recorded around the Pacific’s notorious “Ring of Fire” region, which covers both Mexico and New Zealand. The area accounts for around 90% of the planet’s earthquake activity.
