“Basically, New Zealand just got a little bit bigger is another way to think about it,” GNS Science geologist Ken Gledhill told reporters.
He explained by pointing out that while the southwest of the South Island moved about 30 centimeters closer to Australia, the east coast of the island moved only 1 centimeter westward.
The July 15 temblor was the most powerful so far this year anywhere in the world.
But it caused limited damage because the seismic rupture occurred in “soft rocks” between two tectonic plates, muffling its force, seismologist said.
The strongest of the aftershocks recorded since July 18 registered a magnitude of 5.1.