Seaquake Causes Three Sperm Whales to Beach at Golden Bay, New Zealand (November 22, 2014)

THE TRUTH ABOUT WHY WHALES BEACH THEMSELVES

In what became a Golden Bay, New Zealand community event, hundreds of people turned up at Rototai beach (48.829S by 172.828E) to see and touch three dead sperm whales that had become stranded on Saturday night, November 22, 2014.


The whales, which ranged in length from 14 to 17 meters long were located about one km out on tidal flats.
The three whales were towed by tug boat to Farewell Spit last night, once the tide was high enough to move them.

Department of Conservation biodiversity programme manager Hans Stoffregen said DOC had received a phone call from Rototai residents saying there were whales milling about at sea. "This morning we got a call from residents saying they were stranded."

The quake that caused this event occurred on October 5th at 8:24 pm Wellington time. The stranding occurred 48 days after their injury, which explains why they died so quickly after stranding. I suspect they became trapped inside a current eddie for a few weeks. There were probably more whales in the pod that did not make the long journey.

The time of the quakes was a prime feeding period for sperm whales. It was a strike/slip event that erupted only one kilometer below the seafloor. Shallow events such as this can be extremely dangerous for diving whales since far more seismic energy enters the hydrospace, than does so during deeper events.

Badan Meteorologi dan Geofisika, Jakarta, Indonesia, listed this quake at 6.1 magnitude. Geoscience Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia. listed the event as 6 magnitude.

Magnitudemb 5.4
RegionWESTERN INDIAN-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
Date time2014-10-05 07:24:41.2 UTC
Location49.70 S ; 125.87 E
Depth1 km
Distances2476 km SW of Canberra, Australia / pop: 327,700 / local time: 18:24:41.2 2014-10-05
3863 km SW of Wellington, New Zealand / pop: 381,900 / local time: 20:24:41.2 2014-10-05
4561 km S of Dili, East Timor / pop: 150,000 / local time: 16:24:41.2 2014-10-05 

From the point of injury, the sperm whales (likely 5-6 members of a original pod) swam with the flow of the surface current as depicted in the chart below. The quake was located in the lower left side of the chart. The stranding site on the right side in the middle of the chart. As you can see, their swim path from injury to beach supports the idea that the quake had disabled their biosonar. 




"We have to report the arrival of the London ship, Black Swan, Capt. King, after a protracted passage of 107 days from Plymouth. Her passage list comprises 12 in the saloon, 9 in the second cabin, and 83 in the steerage ; and Capt. King is accompanied by his lady and child. 

He reports one of the most adverse passages he has ever known.  The most noticeable circumstance on the voyage was the occurrence of an earthquake, which was most distinctly felt on board. 'It occurred on Friday the 23rd of May 1862, the ship being at that time in lat. 48.59 South. and long. 127.08 East. For several days the barometer had been very low, varying from 23 to 30, and early on the morning of the 23rd ult., the ship shook violently, and a peculiar sound was heard, as if the vessel were grating over the bottom, the tremor and the sound being so distinct, as to wake the watch below. Previous to her arrival, the passengers, the majority of whom are from Scotland, presented the officers of the ship and the surgeon with a complimentary address." She reached Port Chalmers between 6 and 7 p.m., and the passengers may be expected in town in the morning.


Capt. David Williams

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2015
Dec 09: Whale Dangerous Earthquake South of Perth 
Dec 09: Seaquake causes dolphins to strand Baja California   
Nov 23: Seaquakes kill 322 baleen whales in Chile    (shocking)  
Aug 24: NOAA whale scientists dumbfounded   
Aug 14: stranded dolphin is determined to be deaf   
Aug 08: seaquake causes pilot whales to strand Nova Scotia   
Jul   27: is our stranding solution flawed as scientists claim   
Jun  01: pilots stranded Isles of Skye from Reykjanes Ridge   
May 22: dead whales washing ashore on the California Coast   
May 10: earthquake kills 20 Sei Whales near Chile Coast   
Apr  10: seaquake strands 150 melon-headed whales in Japan   

2014   
Dec 25: navigation failure in mass stranded whales  (most popular)   
Dec 08: seaquake causes 7 sperm whales to beach Australia   
Nov 24: seaquake beaches 3 sperm whales at Golden Bay   
Nov 04: seaquake beaches 60 pilot whales in Bay of Plenty   
Oct 29: nine pilot whales strand on Prince Edward Island   
Apr  11: 60 pilot whales beach in Bay of Plenty   
Mar 20: Cape Ray Newfoundland 37 dolphins beach   
Mar 14: undersea quakes louder than nuclear explosions   
Mar 13: seaquakes cause whale strandings 32 million years   
Mar 02: blue whale killed by seaquake in Kuwait   
Feb 27: seaquake kills young killer whale   
Feb 23: predicting mass beachings based on seaquakes   
Feb 21: lessons in understanding why whales beach   
Feb 18: seaquake Greenland Sea kills 3 sperm whales   
Feb 12: nine orcas killed by seaquake   
Jan 30: Cape Cod mass stranding predicted   
Jan 20: seaquake causes 39 pilot whales to strand Florida   
Jan 16: seaquakes beach 65 pilot whales in Golden Bay   
Jan 05: seaquake beaches 30 pilot whales in Golden Bay   

2013   
Dec 06: why did pilot whales beached in the everglades?   
Apr 30: seaquake beaches 6 killer whales in Iceland   
Apr 25: beached whales stop war games   

2012   
Dec 08: seaquake beach pilot whales South Carolina   
Nov 15: pilot whales beach at Golden Bay, New Zealand   
Nov 04: seaquake causes two pods to beach at King Island   
Oct 28:  pilot whales strand on North Andaman Island   
Oct 17: earthquakes cause New Zealand whale stranding   
Sep 09: earthquake kills pregnant sperm whale   
Sep 03: seaquake strands pilot whales in Scotland   
Aug 24: two quakes cause near beaching in Cape Verde   
Jul  28:  200 Pilot Whales Northwest of Iceland   
Mar 19: Four Sperm Whales Wash Ashore in China   

2011   
Dec  31: world's rarest whales killed by earthquake   
Mar 06: 52 melon-headed dolphins strand in Japan   

2008   
Nov 20: 52 Pilot Whales Stranded in Tasmania


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