Earthquake Raises Ocean Floor near New Zealand Coast

The earthquake near Kaikoura raised a part of the ocean floor in Papatea above the sea level.

The tectonic plate raised six meters, stayed above the sea level and cut a part of the gulf from the ocean. The plate still has seaweed and dead fish and crabs on it. Researcher Kevin Berryman says that the plate raised not vertically, but at an angle. The locals say that during the shift they heard how the water rolled off the raising ocean floor.

The earthquake took place near Kaikoura on November 14 at 00:02 am local time. It lasted for about a minute and had a magnitude of 7.8. The main impact occurred not at the epicenter, but 100km north of it. The disaster caused two deaths, as well as landslides and damage to roads and other transport infrastructure.

New and best

1 163

513

454
972
Read more