Huge quake edges New Zealand islands closer togetherBy The Manila TimesWELLINGTON: A destructive earthquake that struck New Zealand two years ago has left its two main islands edging towards each other, and one city sinking, according to scientists. But the margins are minimal with the gap between the North and South islands narrowing a mere 35 centimeters (13 and a half inches), while Nelson at the top of the South Island has sunk by up to 20 millimeters. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake on November 14 initially pushed the two islands several metres closer and the unsettled fault lines have since nudged the southern landmass further north. However, the gap from Cape Campbell, where the main rupture ended in the South Island, and the New Zealand capital Wellington at the bottom of the North Island is still more than 50 kilometres. The Kaikoura earthquake struck just after midnight and raced north from the middle of the South Island towards Cook Strait covering 170 kilometers in about 74 seconds.

Source: Manila Times November 24, 2018 04:18 UTC