Six earthquakes have rocked New Zealand overnight. The strongest of the recent earthquakes was registered with a 4.9 magnitude, hitting off Seddon. The 4.9 magnitude quake jolted residents before 1 am on Aug 2. The epicentre was located 25 kilometres southeast of Seddon.

The 4.9 magnitude earthquake was followed by a series of small aftershocks. The biggest aftershock hit east of Seddon around 6:38 am.

There were no immediate reports of damage from the series of earthquakes.

Meanwhile, a geologist from Otago has drafted a manuscript, suggesting a tectonic fault system located off the east coast of the South Island may be comparable in size to the Alpine Fault.

Phil Ford, a University of Otago geologist, has written an unpublished draft proposal where he discussed at length the possibility of a major South Island intra-plate fault. This means the fault could possibly be a source of major seismic activity that may potentially cause tsunamis.

Mr. Ford's draft has yet to be reviewed by peers for it to earn its rights to be published in a journal. He said the potential of this fault need immediate research. If the fault is indeed an active fault system, New Zealand should be interested in exploring the study given the potential length of the fault is at 1,600 kilometres.

The recent quakes in New Zealand came just more than a week after the 6.5 magnitude earthquake that hit Wellington on July 19. No casualties were reported on that incident. The Wellington earthquakes were smaller in magnitude compared to the earthquake in Christchurch on Feb 22.

Here's a video of the Wellington earthquake on July 19.

Christchurch speeds up rebuilding

Meanwhile, earthquake-damaged Christchurch continues to rebuild with new staff hired to speed up the process. The Christchurch Central Development Unit (CCDU) was reported to be under restructuring with the hiring of a dozen new managers.

See a video of the Christchurch earthquake below:

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