earthquake fault lines nz


The North Island Fault System runs in a line from the Bay of Plenty to the Wellington coast and is responsible for creating the Kaweka, Ruahine, Tararua and Rimutaka mountain ranges. New Zealand has hundreds of individual faults. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence. Geologists are drilling nearly a mile beneath the surface of New Zealand this fall to bring back rock samples from an active fault known to generate major earthquakes. Looks like the Assam-Tibet Earthquake occurred on the same Ring-Of-Fire tectonic plate fault line as the Indonesia/Sumatra earthquakes. One of the strongest earthquakes to hit the South Pacific in modern history triggered tsunami warnings across the ocean and forced thousands of people in New Zealand to evacuate coastal areas Friday. The Alpine Fault is a geological fault that runs almost the entire length of New Zealand's South Island (c. 480 km) and forms the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the Indo-Australian Plate. The Alpine Fault is responsible for forming the Southern Alps mountain range, which has been pushed up on the Pacific Plate side of the boundary. The magnitude 8.1 quake in the Kermadec Islands region about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from New Zealand's two main islands was the largest in a series of temblors over several hours, … Fault line under Strait of Georgia could cause 6.0 earthquake off Sunshine Coast, research finds Vancouver Fire Chief Darrell Reid said beyond participating in the drill, everyone should be prepared. The Christchurch quake caused the fault line to appear it wasn't there before the quake. University of Waikato researchers with echo sounders have found 25 potential fault … The fault line runs through the western part of Feilding. There are some specific areas in the Waikato region that contain active earthquake fault lines which are more likely to experience earthquake activity. @Lynley - the general evolution of the earthquake sequence is eastward, thus any map of probable fault lines delineated in the past few months will be of little (if any) use. If a fault has moved in the last 5,000 years, it is considered a potential source of damaging earthquakes to any community within a radius of 50 km from the epicentre. Your map is next to useless for us who are living through this. Please place a link on this page of the fault lines map, a document .pdf file...would be nice. Earthquakes begin deep in the Earth’s crust and most of the movement on a fault happens completely underground. More information is available below the map. Fault Lines. I watch the Geonet site a lot and I am amassed at the number of quakes happening in NZ. This probability is used in the National Building Code to help design and construct buildings that are as earthquake proof as possible. (GNS Science). This was published on the 20th Feb 2010. According to GNS Science, if a fault has moved at least once in the last 125,000 years, it is considered active and could possibly move again. Many of New Zealand's active faults have been mapped. Most are too weak, too deep, or too far offshore to be noticed. GNS Science maintains an interactive map of all known active faults in New Zealand. Fault line was a simple shear, not expected. Cheers, I've heard stories of chch people saying they feel earthquakes all the time (prior to the 2 recent biggies) would this not mean there were obviously faults there? Eileen McSaveney, 'Active faults - What is an active fault? Or, are you referring to a different earthquake shown of USGS’s Top 20 map. This formerly flat, straight railway line illustrates the massive displacement caused when the Kekerengu Fault split to the sea. Why was no early warning system in place as in Japan? Fault lines move, therefor Christchurch wont show here.Got to teh site where scientists predicted a major quake and said Christchurch will not be spared. At least six fault lines were ruptured in the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked New Zealand. New Zealand has a large number of faults, but they are not all active at the same time. You might like to read my thoughts on what might really be happening: http://www.itwire.com/opinion-and-analysis/whiskey-tango-foxtrot/51963-a-theory-on-the-christchurch-earthquakes At a Glance. Several major faults run alongside and within this system, including the Wellington Fault. The Nelson region has the potential to be affected by earthquakes, including the rupture of local fault lines. All text licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence unless otherwise stated. Aren't Earthquakes and Volcanic eruptions generally linked? But if the earthquake is big enough (more than about magnitude 7) and shallow enough, the movement on the fault come right up to the ground surface, fracturing (faulting) and buckling (folding) the surface of the ground along the line of the fault by up to several metres. This map effectively shows the areas where future earthquakes are most likely. Satalites using thermal etc to detect earthquakes upto 4 days b4 it happens, due to the huge amount of energy released from plate movement. It’s the "on-land" boundary of the Pacific and Australian Plates. Many smaller faults remain undiscovered until they generate an earthquake. The Alpine Fault, which runs for about 600km up the spine of the South Island, is one of the world’s major geological features. Its very strange that The Lyttelton fault was previously unknown when Lyttelton its self is in a crater. This fault has ruptured four times in the past 900 years, each time producing an earthquake of about magnitude 8. The Alpine Fault is overdue for an earthquake that could reshape the South Island, scientists say. Hi Tina, you're right that there are no known faults right near Christchurch. Special considerations for suspended ceilings. And living in CHCH it has always been thought that the big quake would hit in Wellington. The 1848 earthquakes and aftershocks were caused by movement along at least 105 kilometres of a major fault along the Awatere Valley. The map below provides an idea of the likelihood of experiencing strong earthquake shaking at various locations across the country. The documented increase in Earthquake activity worldwide, dead animals,birds & fish,beached whales /dolphins ,all down to one event coming our way Earth Magnetic Field Flip.The effects start with very focalised events which will get increasingly bigger and soon rather than later humans will be involved in bizarre behaviour/events . This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. The faults within this system head southwards and converge to form the Alpine Fault, which carries most of the plate boundary strain in the region. © Provided by Radio New Zealand New earthquake fault line discovered on a farm in Tatuanui near Morrinsville in the Waikato. High risk faults in New Zealand include the Alpine Fault, Wairararapa Fault, Wellington Fault, and Napier Fault. Adrian, regarding your question: "why no early warning system in place as in Japan?" BIG ONE WARNING: New Zealand in store for ‘EXTREME’ earthquake as fault lines collide NEW Zealand could be in store for a devastating earthquake in the coming years with two fault … Come on, you need to update your map with all the newly discovered faultlines around Christchurch. I heard in April an early warning system is being launched into space. He says the fault responsible for Saturday’s quake was “a real simple shear” that appears to run from east to west. To many others posting here... no, earthquakes and whale beachings are not connected; no, it is not possible to predict earthquakes 4 days in advance (with magical satellites or any other technique! The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly. chch dosnt even look like its on the fault line what up?? New Zealand Earthquake fault zones including Kaikoura Area, Livingstone, Porters Pass-Amberly, Medbury, Cant Range Front, Spey-Mica Burn and Porters Pass-Amberly Fault Zone. The American reaction was not recorded, but in 1958, when Richter published Elementary Seismology, his standard text­book on earthquakes, he referred specifi­cally to his experience in New Zealand and listed the Alpine Fault as a world-ranked master fault. However, a strong, damaging earthquake can happen at any time, and can be followed by … Many of the larger faults are oblique-slip faults, which can cause a combination of horizontal and vertical movement. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder. For a highly localised event, such as the M6.3 22 January, I don't think it would have provided any benefit... With waves travelling at up to 8km/s (P waves) and at least 4km/s (S waves), and the hypocentre being only about 10km from the CBD, the propagation time to CBD and surrounding populated areas was only a second or two. Which is far too close. Drone video captures impact of New Zealand earthquake on Kekerengu fault line – Nov 21, 2016 The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center cautioned the quake could cause tsunami waves of … (google auckland + earthquakes to verify the quakes I speak of). Hope this is true and works. s are oblique strike slip faults, having a combination of sideways and vertical movement. About 20 percent of the region’s population live on soils prone to movement during earthquakes. ); to the person proposing an earth's magnetic field flip - you must have knowledge which even the leading scientists (with all their detailed field strength measuring equipment) have been deprived of! The Waikato region has many active fault lines that increase the chance of earthquakes. Major earthquakes in New Zealand include: The Christchurch earthquake of 2011 (Magnitude 6.3 on the Richter Scale). New Zealand has a large number of faults, but they are not all active at the same time. A swarm of earthquakes along a New Zealand fault-line has prompted fears of a 'megathrust' quake and devastating tsunamis. New Zealand downgraded its tsunami threat level hours after several strong earthquakes, after the National Emergency Management Agency said that the largest waves had passed. The devastating earthquake that tore through Christchurch on Tuesday is the product of a new fault line in the Earth’s crust that seismologists were previously unaware of. Our map shows where earthquake fault lines are in the Waikato region and which areas are most at risk. The buildings near known and suspected faults ALL need to be built to withstand earthquakes and be certified with a wof . Victoria Crafar/Stuff The western end of Feilding's Manchester St is at higher risk of an earthquake than previously thought. A number of major fault lines are in a band that runs the length of New Zealand. i also thought there was an earthquake years ago centred in addington (suburb of chch). Is there any possibility of nz splitting between greymouth & christchurch in the future? The South Island has many other fault systems. As evidenced in CHCH the old churches and buildings were effected but shockingly two newer buildings caused deaths. Earthquake Fault Lines Nz - Fault Line New Zealand Volcanoes Map : Is there any possibility of nz splitting between greymouth & christchurch in the future?. Thats why it was unknown it wasn't even there before the quake!!! At the excavation site at Tatuanui near Morrinsville. According to GNS Science, if a fault has moved at least once in the last 125,000 years, it is considered active and could possibly move again. Commercial re-use may be allowed on request. Council has sought expert advice about improving the accuracy of the mapping of earthquake fault lines that may affect the region, as well as the identification of areas where liquefaction is possible in the event of a major earthquake. Is this the normal pattern or is NZ going through a more active period , or is this going to brew up for a much larger quake? Faults in New Zealand. This was the case with the previously unknown Greendale and Port Hills faults, which were responsible for the 2010 Darfield and 2011 Christchurch earthquakes. New Zealand’s historical record is short—we’ve had only a handful of really large earthquakes since records began in the 1800s—so figuring out their patterns relies on this kind of ‘palaeo-seismic’ research. Can these volcanic earthquakes be as big as regular fault-line earthquakes? https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/4345/active-faults-in-new-zealand Following the Kaikoura earthquake early on Monday morning, GNS Science geologists Nicola Litchfield and Pilar Villamor flew south by chopper from Wellington to … They are known to have ruptured the ground surface at least once in the last 120,000 years. The goal of the Deep Fault Drilling Project is to better understand earthquake processes by sampling the Alpine Fault, which is expected to trigger a large event in the coming decades. The deadliest earthquake in New Zealand was the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake, (Napier earthquake) which claimed 256 lives followed by the June … And no you cant predict earthquakes.... in japan the early warning system is for tasunamis, which caused the majority of the damage. Four ruptured fault lines extending into the sea are likely the cause of a small tsunami. If a fault has moved in the last 5,000 years, it is considered a potential source of damaging earthquakes to any community within a radius of 50 km … However, detection/broadcast and people acting on the warning still takes 10 seconds or so, so only provides benefit farther from the epicentre. © Crown Copyright. Hamilton's not known for earthquakes, but it's on top of more fault lines than we knew. Is there any possibility of NZ splitting between Greymouth & Christchurch in the future? Earthquakes occur most often where two moving plates meet and press against each other, as they do in New Zealand. Many fault lines cut the ground’s surface in New Zealand; each past fault movement would have been accompanied by a large earthquake. That portion of the fault line follow the northern border of the India tectonic plate. Also any studies being done on earthquake magnetic fields & beached whales in NZ & the possiblity of a new volcano surfacing? However, they are smaller and less likely to rupture in the immediate future. OK some of the things posted are amuseing.... first the buildings were belived to withstand a large earthquake but the earthquake in febuary moved in 4 different directions .... or atleast tried to, and no there has never been any large earthquake in addington or been a lage earthquake in Christchurch. Those that are considered likely to move again in the future are called active faults. There needs to be an investigation into why these fell and others stood.Were they under spec.? They include the Wairarapa Fault and Wellington Faultto the southwest, the Ruahine and Mohaka Faults in the central section and the Waimana, Waiotahi, Whakatane and Waiohau Faults to the northeast. All non-text content is subject to specific conditions. It is also a very active fault, and scientists predict it is highly likely to produce a major earthquake within the next 40 years. 'Significant' NZ research reveals 'clear link' between earthquakes and climate change If the crack or fracture reaches the surface, it is called a fault. Most of th… New Zealand has a large number of faults, but they are not all active at the same time. The February 2011 earthquake seems to have been on a previously unknown fault near Lyttelton (10 kilometres south of Christchurch). I'm in the middle of a second article which dispels many of these myths and also outlines what an eruption of the Banks Peninsula volcano might look like - come back to www.itwire.com tomorrow for a look at it! The Marlborough Fault System is a major sequence of faults in the upper South Island. The Southern Alps have been uplifted on the fault over the last 12 million years in a series of earthquakes. ', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/zoomify/4345/active-faults-in-new-zealand (accessed 10 March 2021), Story by Eileen McSaveney, published 12 Jun 2006, reviewed & revised 1 Aug 2017, Alvin jefferies (not verified)12 February 2017, Norvic Hindmarsh (not verified)04 March 2011, Deanna (aged 16) (not verified)25 February 2011, tina loughlin (not verified)23 February 2011. It is not connected to the alpine fault of the Southern Alps, where Kevin and geologists have been expecting an earthquake … New Zealand Earthquake Fault Map | New Zealand Fault Zone Map 3 years ago, there were 3 sizeable earthquakes in Auckland in the Hauraki Gulf, with damage on land. The North Island Fault System or North Island Dextral Fault Belt is a set of southwest–northeast trending seismically-active faults in the North Island of New Zealand that carry most of the dextral (right lateral) strike-slip component of the oblique convergence of the Pacific Plate with the Australian Plate. GNS Science located a 25km fault line in Te Puninga, 27km from Hamilton, and is working to determine how great the earthquake risk is to surrounding … Stresses cause the rocks to break and create cracks. New earthquake fault line unearthed near Hamilton Wed, Feb 17 • Source: 1 NEWS Scientists have unearthed a fault line in the Waikato and are investigating what risk it … Earthquake research deemed problematic by Kiwi experts Alpine Fault quake: Is the big one coming? Yes, an early warning system could prevent deaths in circumstances where a large magnitude earthquake causes damage over a wide area, and in general would be a good idea to implement in New Zealand. New Zealand lies on the boundary of the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates, so earthquakes happen here every day. The Darfield fault, which caused the September 2010 earthquake, is the one just to the west of Christchurch. EMFF Can cause Earthquakes nowhere near any fault lines !