Central Otago felt a 5.9 magnitude earthquake this morning, which occurred 35km off the coast of Milford Sound. 

The earthquake was at a depth of 5km and shook the South Island at 10.20am. 

GeoNet, a partnership between the Earthquake Commission (EQC), GNS Science, and Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) picked up the quake and listed it as “moderate”. 

A number of earthquakes come from the area, which is a major seismic area.

GeoNet Seismic Duty Officer Mureal Naguit said since January 1, 2020, there were at least 13 quakes in the Fiordland area, ranging from above magnitude 4. 

“This is not activity out of the ordinary for this area of New Zealand,” Mureal said. 

“The potential to cause damage depends on various factors with the event epicentre and level of ground shaking as the factors that largely influence how the event would affect the community and the infrastructure within or near the vicinity.”

The quake was followed by several aftershocks.