2007 Gisborne earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Gisborne earthquake was an earthquake
of magnitude 6.8 on the Richter scale which struck in the Pacific Ocean, 50 km off the eastern coast of New Zealand's North Island
at 8.55 pm NZDT
on 20 December 2007. The tremor mostly affected the town of Gisborne
, but was felt widely across the country from Auckland in the north to Dunedin in the south.
The earthquake was initially reported to have caused no deaths, but an elderly woman in Gisborne was discovered to have suffered a heart attack
and died shortly after the quake.
A number of buildings in central Gisborne were damaged. The central business district was closed off to allow building inspectors to assess buildings for damage; three buildings had collapsed. There were blackouts immediately after the earthquake hit. The town clock stopped at 8:55pm as a result of the earthquake.
As of 14 January 2008, the Earthquake Commission
had received over 3100 insurance claims amounting to $16 million. It was earlier estimated that the cost of damage caused by the earthquake could rise to $30 million.
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
of magnitude 6.8 on the Richter scale which struck in the Pacific Ocean, 50 km off the eastern coast of New Zealand's North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
at 8.55 pm NZDT
Time in New Zealand
New Zealand has two time zones. The main islands use New Zealand Standard Time , 12 hours in advance of Coordinated Universal Time , while the outlying Chatham Islands use Chatham Standard Time , 12 hours 45 minutes in advance of UTC.During summer daylight saving time is observed and clocks are...
on 20 December 2007. The tremor mostly affected the town of Gisborne
Gisborne, New Zealand
-Economy:The harbour was host to many ships in the past and had developed as a river port to provide a more secure location for shipping compared with the open roadstead of Poverty Bay which can be exposed to southerly swells. A meat works was sited beside the harbour and meat and wool was shipped...
, but was felt widely across the country from Auckland in the north to Dunedin in the south.
Effects
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
and died shortly after the quake.
A number of buildings in central Gisborne were damaged. The central business district was closed off to allow building inspectors to assess buildings for damage; three buildings had collapsed. There were blackouts immediately after the earthquake hit. The town clock stopped at 8:55pm as a result of the earthquake.
As of 14 January 2008, the Earthquake Commission
Earthquake Commission
The Earthquake Commission provides primary natural disaster insurance to the owners of residential properties in New Zealand. The Government-owned Crown entity manages assets of $5.93 billion NZD...
had received over 3100 insurance claims amounting to $16 million. It was earlier estimated that the cost of damage caused by the earthquake could rise to $30 million.