New Zealand inches closer to Australia after quake

A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake last week has moved the south of New Zealand closer to Australia, scientists say.

With the countries separated by the 2,250-kilometre-wide Tasman Sea, the 30 centimetre closing of the gap in New Zealand's south-west will not make much difference.

But earthquake scientist Ken Gledhill of GNS Science said the shift illustrated the huge force of the tremor, the biggest in the world so far this year.

"Basically, New Zealand just got a little bit bigger, is another way to think about it," he said.

While the south-west of the South Island moved about 30 centimetres closer to Australia, the east coast of the island moved only one centimetre westwards, he said.

The biggest quake in New Zealand in 78 years caused only slight damage to buildings and property when it struck the remote south-west Fiordland region of the South Island last Thursday.

A small tsunami was generated by the earthquake, with a tide gauge on the west coast of New Zealand recording a wave of one metre.

"For a very large earthquake, although it was very widely felt, there were very few areas that were severely shaken," Dr Gledhill said.

Aerial inspection of the forested fiords near the quake's epicentre showed few land slips or other signs of damage.

New Zealand frequently suffers earthquakes because it marks the meeting point of the Australian and Pacific continental plates.

- AFP