New Zealand Shaken Hard by Strong and Moderate Earthquakes

New Zealand's south island was rocked by earthquakes on Tuesday--starting with a 6.3 temblor that struck at 12:51 p.m. local time. The first quake was followed by a 5.6 magnitude quake at 1:04 p.m. and a 5.5 shaker at 2:50 p.m. The location of all of these quakes was near Christchurch--about 190 miles southwest of Wellington.

According to initial reports, the first quake caused widespread damage, injuries and some reports said there were multiple fatalities. The earthquakes caused power outages, toppled buildings, ruptured streets and trapped people underneath rubble. The timing of this series of quakes raises the possibility of injury and death--the first quake struck in the middle of the day, during lunchtime.

Christchurch is still recovering from a 7.0 magnitude quake that struck the area on September 3, 2010. The 2010 earthquake caused two serious injuries and variable damage in the area. That earthquake was the result of a strike-slip fault within the Pacific plate.

The most recent earthquakes ranged in depth from 3.1 miles to 6 miles. Photos of damage can be seen on Yahoo! News.

According to the Geonet website, several minor earthquakes of varying magnitudes shook the region in the days prior to this latest round of quakes. Several aftershocks were registered after the initial 6.3 quake.

According to the United States Geological Survey website, New Zealand isn't the only country in that area of the Pacific shaken by earthquakes on Tuesday--Australia's Northern Territory experienced a 4.7 earthquake and a 6.4 magnitude quake struck just south of the Fiji Islands. More quakes also shook the Solomon Islands and Loyalty Islands, located north of Australia.