article: Jul 8 2010 - June 2010 GeoNet roundup

Last month's new sites, volcano surveillance results, earthquake summaries, data products and other news from GeoNet, New Zealand's geological hazard monitoring system.

The completed Kaweka Forest (KAWK) continuous GPS site is surrounded by cloud.

New facilities for researchers and data users

If you'd like to incorporate GeoNet's earthquake locations into your own work, take a look at the options available with Quake Web Services. These will return the data in both QuakeML and KML formats.

Additions and upgrades to the geophysical monitoring networks

• The installation of the borehole sensor at North Egmont (NEZ) completed the upgrade of the Taranaki Volcano-Seismic Network.
• A new combined seismic (KWHZ) and continuous GPS (KAWK) site was completed at Kaweka Forest.
  
• A new continuous GPS site was completed at Te Karaka (TKAR) in the Gisborne area.

Our interactive network map will show these and all the other GeoNet seismic, GPS and tsunami sites.

Earthquakes summary

• The most widely-felt earthquake of the month occurred on Saturday, June 12, magnitude 5.3, 90 km south of Opunake at a depth of 170 km. We have received 188 felt earthquake reports to date.
• How many earthquakes do we have in New Zealand? Check out the statistics of the last 50 years.
  
• The preliminary locations of May's earthquakes located by our analyst team are shown below.

View of White Island crater during a gas flight on June 16.

Volcano surveillance field trips

Wednesday June 16 - Gas flight over White Island

Flying conditions were excellent, with clear sky and a steady 10 knot wind. The Flyspec is now running with new software and although the spectrometer side of it worked well, we had problems with the GPS so didn't get a result. All gas emissions were slightly lower than those measured on last month's flight:

* carried out by helicopter on May 2

Thursday June 17 - Ruapehu Crater Lake visit

We collected a couple of Ruapehu Crater lake samples this morning, both gas and water from the central vent and north vent. Temperatures were 31.9 °C and 32.0 °C for central and north vents respectively, both up from the low twenties of last month's sampling. However temperatures from the datalogger suggest that they might have been slighly higher a week ago and could possible be dropping now.

The lake was well mixed and the old "battleship grey" colour, though the grey colour was more intense in the centre of the lake than round the outside. Upwellings were hard to pick as there was a bit of wind turbulence.

Reported landslides from media sources

Sunday June 6

• Slip beneath a house at in Strathmore, Wellington about 5 pm. Two houses evacuated.
  
• Rocks were reported as strewn over the Takaka Hill Road as a result of heavy rain.

Monday June 7

• Small slip SH 58 Paremata Road near Spinnaker Drive, Whitby.
• Slip closed SH 35 near Hicks Bay (5 km west of Wharf Road).
• Slip at Woodville end of Manawatu Gorge blocking one lane.
• Paekakariki Hill Road closed due to slips blocking both lanes, 2 km North of Battle Hill.
• Slip blocking one lane at the Opotiki end of the Waioeka Gorge.
• Slip at Wharerata Gorge south of Gisborne blocked the southbound lane.

Tuesday June 8

• Slip blocking SH 7 at Blacks Point, south of Reefton.
• Landslide reported blocking the road between Aramoana and Dunedin.

Thursday June 10

• Slip reported on SH 2 near Featherston.

Friday June 11

• Flooding and slips closed Allanton Road between SH 86 and SH 87 near Outram.

Sunday June 20

• Rocks and minor landslip reported affecting SH 30 between Benneydale and Whakamaru, near Totara walking track. Location near Barryville/Pureora.

Tuesday June 22

• Slip reported to be blocking Bledisloe Park Avenue, Maketu, Bay of Plenty.

Thursday June 24

• Large slip on SH 1 south of Kaikoura completely blocked the road at 10 pm. Re-opened in the morning of June 25. The location was between the two road tunnels just north of Goose Bay.

Friday June 25

• Slip on SH 5 (Napier-Taupo highway) blocking one lane near Te Haroto.
• Police report slips in the Coromandel Peninsula as a result of heavy rainfall.
  

Sunday June 27

• Slip blocking SH 75, Christchurch to Akaroa, south of Little River, Banks Peninsula. The road remained closed on June 28.

Felt earthquakes
of May 2010
(60 located).

Shallow earthquakes
of May 2010
(1467 located).

Deep earthquakes
of May 2010
(469 located).