It seems that it was earthquake prone New Zealand's turn to get hit by a major quake. Early Saturday morning, just before dawn local time, a powerful 7.0 magnitude quake struck, causing heavy and widespread damage in Christchurch, that country's second largest city, with a population of about 400,000 people. But, there have so far been few reports of injuries.

The Guardian newspaper reports -- "Christchurch mayor Bob Parker declared a state of emergency four hours after tremors rocked the region, warning that continuing aftershocks could cause masonry to fall from damaged buildings.. Residents reported collapsed buildings and bridges, as well as power cuts. Christchurch ( has been) rocked with a series of sharp aftershocks."

Five hours earlier, according to the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey); a powerful 6.3 quake struck Andreanof Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska

Earthquakes are a fact of life on the planet earth. New Zealand has as many as 14,000 a year, most are tremors, which are not felt by people. New Zealand has as many as ten quakes a year that does cause damage.