Abstract
DURING January 1943 only four distant earthquakes were registered by the seismographs at Auckland, Arapuni, Christchurch and Wellington, New Zealand, according to the provisional bulletin just received (Provisional Bulletin No. P-131, New Zealand Seis. Rep., Dominion Observatory, Wellington, N.Z., Jan. 1943). The first earthquake was on January 2. P waves were received at Auckland at 19h. 32m. 20s. TJ.T. from an epicentre 22° distant. The second, on January 9, came from an epicentre some 25° from Wellington, P waves arriving at this place at 02h 20m. 01s. U.T. The third shock was on January 27, possible P waves arriving at Wellington at 02h. 58m. 30s. U.T. from an epicentre 95° distant, though interpretation of this record was difficult owing to the small amplitudes being confused by microseisms. The last shock of the month, the epicentre of which was at a greater distance than 10° from Wellington, occurred on January 30. P waves were received at Christchurch at 06h. 05m. 40s. U.T. from an epicentre some 53 km. distant. During the month there were in addition twenty-five earthquakes the epicentres of which were at a distance less than 10° from Wellington. All but four of these were felt at some place or other in New Zealand ; two were felt at Wellington, three at Masterton, and six at Wairoa. The greatest felt, reckoned on the modified Mercalli scale, was on January 24, about Foveaux Strait, where the intensity reached scale V. Greater instrumental magnitudes occurred on January 4 and January 9, though the former only attained modified Merealli scale III at Ohakune and Taihape, and the latter, from an epicentre some 200 km. distant, was apparently not felt in New Zealand.
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Earthquakes Registered in New Zealand. Nature 151, 694–695 (1943). https://doi.org/10.1038/151694c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/151694c0