A quick, sharp earthquake acted as a wake-up alarm to many Eastern Bay residents this morning.
The magnitude 4.2 earthquake hit the area at 4.48am, was 3kms deep and 20kms west of Whakatāne.
As of 8am this morning, GNS had recorded 850 earthquakes in the area since the swarm began early Saturday morning.
The earthquake swarm is now in it's fourth day, with a large number of small quakes (classed as unoticeable by GeoNet) still rattling the Kawerau area.
"A swarm is the term used to describe earthquakes of a similar size that are clustered together in space and time, and they are not unusual. The current swarm is in keeping with historic activity in the region and we believe it is due to the movement of active faults and not related to volcanic unrest or geothermal activity," Duty Seismic Officer, John Ristau says.
"Though there is no scientific way to know for certain, we think the most likely scenario is that we will continue to see this activity decrease over the next few days. However, we can’t ever be sure,"
"Earthquakes can happen anytime and anywhere, so it is always good to be prepared. http://www.getready.govt.nz has some great advice for you and your whanau." Ristau says.
Anyone seeking further information can check the GeoNet app and website news, and read the latest on the earthquake swarm: https://www.geonet.org.nz/news/4PuHMfEQzaMgI9Hudgf8dp