North Island, New Zealand: 4.7 magnitude earthquake hits Wellington hours before Australia-New Zealand test match

A 4.7 magnitude earthquake struck the North Island of New Zealand.

The earthquake occurred near Wellington just before the first cricket match of the year between Australia and New Zealand.

The earthquake began at 5.18am on Thursday, 5 kilometers north of Upper Hutt and 33 kilometers north of Wellington.

The depth of the earthquake was 23 kilometers according to the GeoNet earthquake aggregation website.

The website described the shaking as “moderate” and received more than 11,000 reports from citizens after it occurred.

About 3,700 of these reports rated the earthquake as weak, 5,000 rated it as mild, and 2,000 rated it as moderate.

Only 150 rated the earthquake as strong.

The test match will continue as planned.

“Remember, drop, cover and hold on is the correct action to take in an earthquake and when you are in bed, cover your head,” GeoNet said on social media.

Adam Pascale, chief scientist at the Center for Seismological Research, said news.com.au The depth of the earthquake meant it would likely only cause cosmetic damage.

Pascale also noted that in New Zealand, earthquakes are expected periodically throughout the country.

The scientist also said it was a good reminder for people to remember safety procedures.

More to come