Still Sharp ’Quakes In Taupo Area

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30626, 17 December 1964, Page 3

Still Sharp ’Quakes In Taupo Area

(New Zealand Press Association) HAMILTON, December 16. Two sharp earthquakes struck the farming district of Marotiri at the north end of Lake Taupo this morning. One was felt just after midnight and the other about 8 a.m. They are the worst to hit the area since tremors began rocking Taupo 10 days ago.

Both times china rattled, slid around the shelves and there were some breakages. After this morning’s shake the district was without electric power for about 15 minutes. There has been no major damage in the area, according to the Ministry of Works resident engineer at Mangakino (Mr A. W. Gibson). “It was as if something was trying to get out of the ground,” said a resident. “Shakes were accompanied by a deep rumbling noise. “I had nothing broken but everything rattled and some of my stuff shot out of the cupboard off the shelves.”

Mrs E. J. Goldie was preparing to cook breakfast. “The earthquake was quite nasty. Doors cracked and one slammed shut. Everything was on the move and everything rattled.” Although the earthquake gave the Marotiri district a good jolt, the people of Taupo felt only a slight tremor. The series of earthquakes which began in Taupo on December 4 had now begun to decrease, said Dr. T. Kizawa, an eminent Japanese seismologist at present in Taupo studying the shakes. He said the peak appeared to have been reached on Monday. Dr. Kizawa has been assisting Mr G. A. Eiby, principal scientific officer, Seismological Observatory, Wellington in investigations at Taupo. The Taupo police and an official at the Wairakei geothermal power project both said yesterday’s shake about 12.30 p.m. was the strongest so far.

But, Mr Eiby said last night, he thought it unlikely there had been any great increase in the strength of the tremors.

Till now, the shakes had not reached force 5 on the Richter scale, a force which normally brought damage. Little progress had been made in narrowing down an earthquake pattern from a study of records.