EARTHQUAKE RECORDED

Taranaki Daily News, 20 July 1934, Page 5

EARTHQUAKE RECORDED

NOT NEAR TO NEW ZEALAND.

MISTAKE IN CALCULATIONS.

By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.

Rec. 10 p.m. London, July 19. The seismologist, Mr. Shaw, to-day recorded two earthquakes. He says the severe one was in the Antipodes, ■ close to New Zealand. They might have happened in the Pacific Ocean bed, but the possibility that they occurred in New Zealand itself could not be overlooked.

Dr. C. E. Adams, Dominion seosmologist, referring to Mr. Shaw’s record, said excellent records were secured of both earthquakes on the seismological instruments at Kelburn, says a Wellington Press Association message. The first occurred on July 18 at 1.20 p.m. New Zealand mean time and the second on July 19 at 7.16 a.m. The first was about 7700 miles away from New Zealand. Notice of this earthquake was cabled from Kew Observatory, stating it was about 5000 miles away in the Pacific. Calculations made with the aid of local records showed that the earthquake must have occurred somewhere in Central America. The second was closer; nevertheless it was 2000 miles away from New Zealand.

It was difficult to understand how Mr. Shaw came to be 2000 miles out in his estimate. The records were quite distinctive, and they represented the biggest earthquake that had been recorded for some time. However, neither was qnywhere near New Zealand, and it was unfortunate that New Zealand was being credited with them.

RECORDS TAKEN AT SYDNEY.

SHAKE IN SOLOMON GROUP.

Rec. 10 p.m. Sydney, July 19. The Riverview Observatory recorde'd three earthquakes, the first at noon yesterday, the second at 3 this morning and the third, which was the most severe, at 5.40 a.m. The last-mentioned was approximately 1950 miles north-east of Sydney in the vicinity of San Cristobal Island, Solomons Group. Later shocks were recorded from the same locality.