Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Chance of magnitude 6 shock 'lessening day by day'

Updated at 9:33 pm on 10 September 2010

Two earthquake scientists say the chance of a magnitude 6 aftershock hitting Canterbury is lessening day by day.

Since last Saturday's 7.1 quake, there have been 10 aftershocks stronger than magnitude 5 on the Richter scale, 72 bigger than 4 and 238 measuring less than 4.

A Victoria University professor in geophysics, Martha Savage, said at a public lecture in Wellington on Friday that the strength and number of aftershocks are waning, and will continue to do so over the next few months.

Ms Savage says the odds of a magnitude 6 aftershock striking the Canterbury region are now one in 10.

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