Big Earthquake Off Of NZ's South Island

Some damage in Invercargill, apparently. Hope Andrew wasn't discomfited, whether in Christchurch, or elsewhere:

A tsunami warning issued by the center was in effect for about 2 1/2 hours after the quake hit at 9:22 p.m. New Zealand time yesterday, with the residents of Auckland and Wellington advised of a possible threat, according to e-mailed alerts. No other countries in the Pacific were affected. The quake was followed by a magnitude-5.8 aftershock 19 minutes later.

Sea-level readings indicated a tsunami had been generated by the temblor, the center said, though there was no report of any impact. At Jackson Bay, the sea had risen 0.17 meter (6.7 inches) above normal, the agency said. The coastal area near the epicenter is sparsely populated and includes Fiordland National Park.

“When no major waves are observed for two hours after the estimated time of arrival or damaging waves have not occurred for at least two hours then local authorities can assume the threat is passed,” the center said. “Danger to boats and coastal structures can continue for several hours due to rapid currents.”

The temblor struck 150 kilometers (95 miles) west-northwest of Invercargill on the South Island, at a depth of 35 kilometers, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The earthquake shook buildings as far away as Christchurch, the biggest city on the South Island and 532 kilometers to the northeast of the epicenter.

The quake brought down some power lines in Invercargill, local police inspector Olaf Jensen said by telephone. He said he didn’t have any reports of serious damage and couldn’t confirm an NZ Radio report of cracked buildings in Tuatapere, the closest town to the epicenter. Police don’t expect to get a better sense of damage until daylight, Jensen said.