Earthquake hits near Seddon south of Blenheim, felt by thousands

An earthquake has struck near Marlborough today.

The 4.5 magnitude quake hit 45km south-east of Seddon at 1.09pm.

GeoNet says it was about 36km deep and may have been felt in a number of places around the region.

M4.4 quake causing light shaking near Seddon https://t.co/k1QccEfxDz

— GeoNet (@geonet) December 7, 2020

Those places include Blenheim, Cheviot, French Pass, Hanmer Springs, Kaikoura, Martinborough, Nelson, Paraparaumu, Picton, St Arnaud and Wellington.

On Geonet 1204 people had reported feeling the quake, the majority said it was either "weak" or "light".

Twenty-two people had reported it being a "moderate" quake at 1.30pm and one had reported it as "extreme".

It follows a 4.4 magnitude earthquake which struck the Hawke's Bay at 8.24am today.