NZ quake makes spaghetti of train tracks

An earthquake in New Zealand has twisted the tracks of one of the country's railways.

Now resembling a scene more akin to spaghetti than the traditional straight tracks associated with rail travel, it is believed the incident occurred after a recent earthquake, which measured 7.1 on the Richter scale.

Dave Petley, a blogger for the American Geophysical Union, explained: "The compression on the very strong railway line was accommodated when a weak point was found, leading to a comparatively rapid deformation to form the main buckle on the left.

"This then concentrated stress on both sides of the buckle, allowing the other bends to form."

The damaged line links Canterbury with the west coast of the country's South Island.