scale has been estimated for Murchison. Most of the northern part of South Island suffered an intensity of VII (Very strong) or greater. Aftermath The landslides blocked many roads causing food supplies to run out in some areas near the epicentre. This and the risk of aftershocks and flooding from landslides blocking rivers caused many residents to evacuate the area, mostly on foot. Karamea was completely cut off and received no outside help for two weeks, until a de Havilland Tiger Moth plane landed on the beach. Some of the blocked roads took months to clear. Importance for studying the earth's interior Analysing the seismic waves from this earthquake appearing in the shadow zone, Inge Lehmann demonstrated that there must be a solid inner core that reflected p-waves. See also List of earthquakes in 1929 List of earthquakes in New Zealand References External links Landslide blog about the earthquake by Professor Dave Petley, Durham University, UK 1929 Murchison New Zealand - Murchison Murchison History of the West Coast, New Zealand History of the Tasman District Murchison earthquake Murchison earthquake 1929 disasters in New Zealand