HOGBEN.— 0;i the Earthquake of March 7, 1890. 47>3 



Art. LVI. — Notes on the Earthquake of 7th 21arch, ISOi), 

 felt at Napier, Gisborne, and other Places. 



By George Hogben, M.x\. 



[Read before the Pliilosophical Institute of Cantcrhiiry, 7th August, 1890.] 



Plate XLIII. 

 By the courtesy of Dr. Lemon, I have, since December, 1889, 

 been allowed to receive memoranda of earthquake-shocks as 

 observed by ofiicers of the Telegraph Department at various 

 places in the colony. Up to the present time there has been 

 only one earthquake (the one that forms the subject of these 

 notes) for which the returns received have been sufficient in 

 number to be used for the determination of the position of the 

 earthquake-origin ; but the means thus adopted will, I trust, 

 secure what has generally not been secured in the past, a suf- 

 ficient number of reliable data for determining the origin of 

 any important earthquake in the future. 



I need scarcely point out that the officers of the Telegraph 

 Department, most of whom seem to take considerable interest 

 in the subject, have unusual opportunities of aiding the deter- 

 mination of tlie chief centres of earthquake-disturbance by the 

 only exact method that is possible at present in New Zealand 

 — namely, by means of careful time-observations. 



In regard to the particular earthquake referred to, I have 

 rejected all other notices (newspaper and otherwise) as too 

 inexact for the present purpose. 



The returns from the several telegraph-offices are as fol- 

 lows : — 



Place of 

 Observation. 



Napier 



Gisbonio 

 Feilding 



Observed | 



Time of i 



Begiuniug j 



of Shock, j 



(N.Z Mean 



Time.) 



3. 



Direction of 



Wave, as 

 reported to 

 have been 

 observed. 



Nature of Sliock as 

 reported. 



5.25 p.m. 



5.25 p.m. 

 5.29 p.m. 



Taupe (Tapu-{ 5.2<J p.m 



aeliariiru) 

 Wanganui . . 5.30 p.m. 

 Wellington 5.30 p.m. 



Blenheim 



Bull's 

 Tauranga . . 



5.30 p.m. 



5.31 p.m. 

 5.35 p.m. 



: N. to S. (ap- 

 j parently) 

 : N.E. to s.w. 

 ! Not defined 



'S.E. .. 



N.E. to S.W. 

 S. to N., then 



N. to S. 

 N. to S. .. 



N.E. to S.W. 

 S.E.toN.W. 



Sharp. Clocks stopped. 

 Previous rumbling 



Very sharp . . 



Slight. Vibration con- 

 tinued evenly for 



Sharp. Peculiarly un- 

 dulating motion 



Severe (?) . . 



Slight 



Slight. Previous rum- 

 blings for a few se- 

 conds 



Sharp. 



Severe 



Duration. 



15 seconds. 



.30 seconds. 

 35 seconds 

 (exactly), 

 i minute. 



33 seconds. 

 i seconds. 



5 seconds. 



5 seconds. 



