The Natural Hazards Manager at GNS Science, Kelvin Berryman, says it is impossible to tell for sure how long the aftershocks will continue.
But he says previous earthquakes, in this country and overseas, have been followed by seismic activity for up to 30 years.
Earth Changes
© Reuters / Eric Thayer
A roadside sign is seen with its base submerged near Great Bend, North Dakota April 12, 2011. The Red River was spreading out in a record swath across broad stretches of rural North Dakota and Minnesota on Tuesday and swelling toward a near-record crest in Grand Forks expected within three days.
A roadside sign is seen with its base submerged near Great Bend, North Dakota April 12, 2011. The Red River was spreading out in a record swath across broad stretches of rural North Dakota and Minnesota on Tuesday and swelling toward a near-record crest in Grand Forks expected within three days.
The Red River reached a preliminary crest at 49.87 feet on Thursday at Grand Forks and continues to spread out across regions north of the city, reaching eight miles wide or more at Oslo, Minnesota, which has become an island amid the swells, the National Weather Service said on Friday.
The Red River forms the North Dakota-Minnesota border, flowing north into Canada. A tributary system stretching from southern Canada and South Dakota feeds into the main Red River as it reaches toward Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba.
"We will be dealing with flood issues throughout April and well into May," said Greg Gust, a U.S. National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist. "It will be a long time before we push the last of the flood waters across the Canadian border."
At just under 50 feet, the Red River crest at Grand Forks was the third highest on record and three of four bridges are expected to stay closed at least well into next week.
© Getty Images: Martin Hunter
Damage seen from the devastating earthquake in February, which followed a quake last September
Damage seen from the devastating earthquake in February, which followed a quake last September
New Zealand's second largest city remains devastated following a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in February which claimed 181 lives, and followed a stronger, but less destructive 7.1 quake last September.
The latest tremor hit at 5:49pm (local time) and was centred 16 kilometres west of the city at a depth of nine kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.
© WRAL
Raleigh, N.C. was hit by a tornado that caused substantial damage.
Raleigh, N.C. was hit by a tornado that caused substantial damage.
The National Weather Service said more than 100 twisters were spotted through the region, CNN reported.
North Carolina was hit by severe storms Saturday afternoon with Wilmington's WWAY-TV reporting two people were killed in Bladen County. The TV station said law enforcement confirmed one person was dead in Ammon and a civilian report by amateur radio said one person was killed in a car wreck due to wind on state Highway 242 between Elizabethtown and Bladenboro.
The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., reported the city was hit by a tornado that caused substantial damage. The newspaper said the storm system downed power lines, toppled trees and damaged buildings in the Triangle region.
A Progress Energy spokesman said at least 70,000 customers were without power.
"It's really bad," Raleigh Fire Department Lt. Adam Stanley said.
© CTV.ca News
A truck creates a huge splash as it drives on a flooded road near Melita, Man.
A truck creates a huge splash as it drives on a flooded road near Melita, Man.
Flood waters have spread across the province, overtaken roads, tested dikes and threatened to shut down businesses in the area completely.
Both the Red and Assiniboine Rivers are expected to rise by more than a foot on Saturday after an ice jam backed up water flow.
Officials in Winnipeg say rivers could see a dramatic rise to the 20-foot mark by the end of the day, but are expected to drop down on Sunday as the ice jam clears.
The rise was not expected to threaten Winnipeg's flood preparations and city officials halting sandbagging operations over the weekend. Officials said they would be monitoring water levels for any sudden changes.
© WCNC.com Photo
Police in Boone report the parking lot at the Boone Mall, next to Kraut Creek, is flooded.
Police in Boone report the parking lot at the Boone Mall, next to Kraut Creek, is flooded.
Earlier Saturday, rescue crews worked in Caldwell County to help campers trapped by flood waters this morning.
A line of gusty thunderstorms raced through Charlotte at midday, and the storms intensified as they moved east.
Authorities in Rowan County report trees and power lines down, and there are reports that strong winds damaged several houses in the Farrington Meadows area along Old Mocksville Road, north of Salisbury. A funnel cloud was spotted in Davie County, but there is no report of a tornado touching down.
A tornado warning was issued for parts of Union, Anson and Stanly counties after the storms moved east of Charlotte, but there are no immediate reports of damage.
Cuba is facing its worst drought in half a century, with tens of thousands of families almost entirely reliant on water trucks for essential supplies.
The drought started two years ago, and reservoirs are now down to a fifth of their normal levels.
The government is providing road deliveries of water to more than 100,000 people in the worst affected areas of the capital, Havana.
The situation in Havana is compounded by a pipe network in poor condition.
The state-run newspaper Granma says up to 70% of water pipes supplying the capital are leaking and in urgent need of repair, the BBC's Michael Voss in Havana says.
© Reuters
The BBC's Michael Voss asked people in Havana how they were coping
The BBC's Michael Voss asked people in Havana how they were coping
The drought started two years ago, and reservoirs are now down to a fifth of their normal levels.
The government is providing road deliveries of water to more than 100,000 people in the worst affected areas of the capital, Havana.
The situation in Havana is compounded by a pipe network in poor condition.
The state-run newspaper Granma says up to 70% of water pipes supplying the capital are leaking and in urgent need of repair, the BBC's Michael Voss in Havana says.
© USGS
The epicenter, with a depth of 10.00 km, was initially determined to be at 20.0339 degrees south latitude and 147.6587 degrees east longitude.
[Removed at request of author]
I took a drive to see another YouTube friend today and to take a look at a huge crack opening up here in my neck of the woods. Neat stuff...
Comment: Sott.net has picked up a few more incidents of the ground opening up since this report was made:
February 25: Large Crack Opens in the Earth in Southern Peru
March 7: Pakistan: Giant Fissure / Crack Opens in the Ground in Seagi Gulistan
March 18: Everett, Washington: Land Crack Appears, Neighborhood is Sinking