At 4:35 in the morning of Saturday September 4 local time, a large earthquake struck New Zealand's South Island. Because it was a strike-slip event, typical of this area's transcurrent tectonic regime, no tsunami was expected and no warning was issued. Follow the scientific side of this event at the USGS's special page. The magnitude is in flux; some sources put it at 7.4 but the US Geological Survey currently puts it at 7.0. Residents of Christchurch reported strong shaking, and we can expect damage in many towns.
Global seismic hazard map
The three types of fault
Earthquake basics
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