Large Aftershocks continue follow magnitude 6.8 NZ quake*

Reuters
Monday, October 15, 2007; 8:07 PM

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Aftershocks rattled New Zealand's South Island on
Tuesday up to 10 hours after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the area,
New Zealand seismologists said.

Six aftershocks, the strongest measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale,
followed the original shake, which was centered 60 kilometers (38 miles)
west of the isolated tourist settlement of Milford Sound, off the
south-west coast of the South Island.

The first quake was at a depth of 24 kilometers, but was felt widely
throughout the bottom half of the South Island.

Seismologists said there were reports of some landslides in the remote
area, but police said there had been no damage or injuries in populated
areas.

The region was expected to continue to feel aftershocks for several
weeks after such a large earthquake.

"Aftershocks occur as the earth's crust adjusts to stresses caused by
the main shock. No two aftershock sequences are exactly the same," said
Bryan Field of New Zealand's Geological and Nuclear Sciences agency in a
statement.

New Zealand scientists record about 14,000 earthquakes a year, of which
about 20 top 5.0 on the Richter scale.