BULLER EARTHQUAKE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18467, 4 August 1934, Page 15

BULLER EARTHQUAKE

ACCOMPANYING SOUNDS INTERESTING PHENOMENA Sounds produced by the Billler earthquake of .Tune 17, 1929, formed* the subject of a paper by’ Mr. R. C. Hayes, of tlie Dominion,, observatory, read by Professor D. O. H. Florance at a. meeting of the astronomical section of the Wellington Philosophical Society. The familiar sounds associated with many earthquakes, particularly near their epicentres, were generally described as rumblings, roarings or detonations, Mr. Ifayes stated. These were heard at tlie same time as the shock was felt, or Within a few seconds before or after its Occurrence. It was obvious from their coincidence with the time of the earthquake that these sounds could not be Other than high-frequency earth vibrations, transmitted to the air in the immediate neighborhood of the observer. They were, ni reality, part of tlie earthquake itself. Sounds of that type accompanied the Duller earthquake in parts oi both islands. The most distant station reporting a rumbling noise about the same time as the earthquake was Gisborne, 350 miles north-east of the epicentre! As was usually the case, the distribution of the earth sounds was irregular. Tire most interesting sounds associated with the Duller earthquake were those which were heard' at a. few places some minutes after the earthquake had been felt, and generally from some definite direction. They were atmospheric disturbances, originating at or near inc main epicentre ot the earthquake. Rumblings were heard at Wellington some time after the earthquake was felt, both in. the city and suburbs. They were intense enough to attract fairly general attention and to occasion some alarm. Tlie atmospheric disturbance was so violent that loose objects, such as shutters and window sashes, oscillated for some minutes in an extraordinary manner. An observer at Pcncarrow Lighthouse reported rumblings from tlie westward about 15 minutes after the earthquake was felt. At Orongorongo, a few miles to the south-east of Pencarfow Head, the sounds were reported heard about (ive minutes after the shock. The distribution of stations reporting air disturbances appeared to be confined to the coastal districts from Wellington to Taranaki. No reports of air sounds heard were received from any station south of the epicentre, although Christchurch was situated: at about tlie same distance as Wellington. That fact might have been due to conditions in the upper air preventing the sound waves from reaching tlie earth s surface in a southerly direction.