New Zealand moving closer to Australia?

I was browsing Yahoo earlier today, when an article about a powerful earthquake in New Zealand caught my eye. The earthquake which occurred last Thursday, measured 7.8 on the Richter scale, actually pushed the South Island of New Zealand closer to Australia. According to the article, the movement is measured to be 30 cm closer to the continent of Australia and that the quake was so powerful that it changed the shape of the South Island of New Zealand. The two land masses are separated by the Tasman Sea which is merely 2250 km wide. This recent earthquake is the strongest New Zealand has had in almost 78 years and the biggest display of force that the world has seen so far this year. The article goes on to state, that scientists eventually believe that the island will settle back into place, though this reverse motion may take up to hundreds of years. This quake was usual because its epicentre. Quakes are known to New Zealand because it lays along the meeting point of the Pacific and Australian continential plates, the recent quake however, struck along the right boundary of the Australian and Pacific plates. The damage of this quake was slight considering the high magnitude of 7.8, as only slight damages to building were reported in the southwest Fiordland region of the South Island.

Check out the Yahoo article here for more information on this earthquake as well as the Australian report of this event found here.