Geologists and authorities are racing to quantify what might happen, and how they might respond in the event of the next one, likely to occur some time in the next 50 years. Running in a continuous line from the bay of plenty southwards to the wellington coast, this system has pushed up a line of mountain ranges including. Mar 01, 2012 this combined earthquake hazard shapefile is a compilation of all combined earthquake hazard arcinfo coverages in major urban areas of the wellington region. They have even led to the creation of urban myths such as how until 1855. The 1888 north canterbury earthquake on the hope fault west of hanmer springs. The 2010 darfield canterbury earthquake on the greendale fault. There are some specific areas in the waikato region that contain active earthquake fault lines which are more likely to. The north island fault system or north island dextral fault belt is a set of southwestnortheast trending seismicallyactive faults in the north island of new zealand that carry most of the dextral right lateral strikeslip component of the oblique convergence of the pacific plate with the australian plate. Jan 14, 2019 new zealand is high risk for this stuff and the work thats being done now will make a difference. Nov 16, 2016 this stunning map shows that six faults at least six ruptured in the big kaikoura quake. There are 109,000 jobs in wellingtons cbd, and a big earthquake is expected to take trains and motorways out of action. The 1929 arthurs pass earthquake on the poulter fault. The wellington fault presents a major hazard, as it goes through the heart of new zealands capital city and is crossed by numerous bridges, roads and pipelines. The waikato region has many active fault lines that increase the chance of earthquakes.
New zealand earthquake caused by new fault line the independent. Spatial distribution of ground shaking in characteristic earthquakes on the wellington and alpine faults, new. The map is created by looking at where the known earthquake faults are and working out how big an earthquake they could create, and how often. Wellington region combined earthquake hazard greater wellington regional council. There are major fault lines running the length of new zealand. There are some specific areas in the waikato region that contain active earthquake fault lines which are more likely to experience earthquake activity. New zealand earthquake hits near wellington world news. Railway lines will require checking before any services start back up. It includes a geological time line of the area and specifically looks at how earthquakes caused by shifts in the wairarapa fault have. Earthquakes from the last 365 days that may have caused shaking weak or greater in new zealand. The largest recorded earthquake to have hit new zealand rocked wellington and the wairarapa at.
While there are moments of good humour, theres also a shared seriousness around te ripahapa. To explore in detail a map of new zealands known active faults go to our active faults database and click on the link near the bottom of the page. Added 01 mar 2012 18979 views 977 downloads this combined earthquake hazard shapefile is a compilation of all combined earthquake hazard arcinfo coverages in major urban areas of the wellington region. Over 75% of people in the wellington region live within 10 kilometres of the fault. New zealand earthquake caused by new fault line the. After christchurchs two big quakes, all are aware that new zealands earthquake hazard is real, and the alpine fault is now recognised as one of the major hazards. New zealand could be in store for a devastating earthquake in the coming years with two fault zones set to collide.
You will find them within the new zealand reference collection on the 2nd floor of. Fault lines combines contemporary western dance and traditional chinese ethnic dance in a unique blend to explore what happens to those left in the wake of an unimaginable tragedy. New zealand has a large number of faults, but they are not all active at the same time. These plate movements have resulted in three major fault lines running either through or very close to wellington city the ohariu fault, the wairarapa fault, and the wellington fault. Where new zealands next big earthquake is going to strike noted. Research into the past 27 large earthquakes on this fault shows a turnaround of about 290 years. Rupture statistics of the wellingtonwairarapa fault pair in a synthetic earthquake catalogue derived from a physicsbased numerical model rupture of nearby wairarapa fault unloads wellington fault various recurrencetime models exponential, lognormal, weibull, inverse gaussian.
Check that the broad indication of hazard from the maps is correct for a particular site. Large fault line loaded with pressure with potential to. Which of these fault lines would an alternative route be better. Starting in culverdon, 70km south of kaikoura, the quake ripped across several fault lines, including one that was previously unknown. To explore in detail a map of new zealands known active faults go to our active faults database and click on the link near the bottom of the page the north island fault system is a major plate boundary feature in the. Earthquakes also caught lloyds attention, to give us sobering shots of the effects of the inangahua and edgecumbe quakes, crooked railway lines and all.
His book about the 1855 wairarapa earthquake, magnitude eight plus, was. The 1848 earthquakes and aftershocks were caused by movement along at least 105 kilometres of a major fault along the awatere valley. New zealands capital city lies within the earthquakegenerating collision zone between two of the earths great tectonic plates, and sits on top of one of the zones most active geological faults the wellington fault. Research into the past 27 large earthquakes on this fault shows a.
The wellington fault 1st of 3 next extending northwards from cook strait lower left, the active wellington fault cuts across the wellington region and along the western edge of. Our map shows where earthquake fault lines are in the waikato region and which areas are most at risk. The earthquake commission has just funded a project exploring the potential for quakes in lowseismicity areas, with an initial focus on otago. Central new zealand has been hit by a severe magnitude 6. Where new zealands next big earthquake is going to strike. Four ruptured fault lines extending into the sea are likely the cause of a small tsunami. Earthquakes from the last 365 days that may have caused shaking light or greater in new zealand. The quake raised wellington s coast line by as much as 2. The wellington fault is an active seismic fault in the southern part of the north island of new zealand. 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. Jul 21, 2019 earthquakes also caught lloyds attention, to give us sobering shots of the effects of the inangahua and edgecumbe quakes, crooked railway lines and all. It forms part of the north island fault system, which accommodates the transfer of displacement along the oblique convergent.
Kaikoura earthquake rips through new zealand the great. The powerful earthquake that smashed buildings, cracked roads and twisted rail lines around christchurch, new zealand, also ripped an 11foot wide fault line in earth surface. Fault lines, on a spring day in may 2008 sichuan, china was struck with a devastating. New zealands capital city lies within the earthquake generating collision zone between two of the earths great tectonic plates, and sits on top of one of the zones most active geological faults the wellington fault. Kaikoura, the new zealand tourist town cut off by 7. The deadliest earthquake in new zealand was the 1931 hawkes bay earthquake, napier earthquake which claimed 256 lives followed by the june 2011 christchurch earthquake which claimed 181 lives. Fault lines exposes the intimate human response to natural disaster. High risk faults in new zealand include the alpine fault, wairararapa fault, wellington fault, and napier fault. Niwa scientists on board the tangaroa have been at sea for two weeks studying. The wairarapa fault to the east of wellington ruptured for a distance of over 90 km. Wellington region combined earthquake hazard wellington. This stunning map shows that six faults at least six. Shortly after midnight on monday 14th november 2016, the 7.
That whole area has an estimated 80,000100,000 landslips, and inland is more mountainous, especially north of kaikoura. Significant reduction in the likelihood of a really big earthquake on the wellington fault over the next hundred years. Meanwhile, slips are expected to occur on many of the tracks as well as on the likes of ngauranga gorge. Aerial photographs are very useful in detecting earthquake fault lines. Safest place in new zealand would probably be canterbury or far north but quakes dont happen exactly on fault lines. They are known to have ruptured the ground surface at least once in the last 120,000 years. New zealands largest earthquake in european times struck the centre of the. Many of the larger faults are obliqueslip faults, which can cause a combination of horizontal and vertical movement. The aotea fault so far measured 2km long and ran from oriental parade to.
Earthquakes are natural hazards that occur when the earths tectonic plates move against each other. What is the fault type of christchurch, newzeland 2011. At least six fault lines ruptured in new zealand quake. The wellington fault 1st of 3 next extending northwards from cook strait lower left, the active wellington fault cuts across the wellington region and along the western edge of wellington harbour and the hutt valley. These plate movements have resulted in three major faultlines running either through or very close to wellington city the ohariu fault, the wairarapa fault, and the wellington fault. The last rupture was in 1717ad when an estimated 8. Nelsons resident magistrate, major mathew richmond, noted in november 1848, that a crack quite straight crossed the country for miles. The 2016 kaikoura earthquake happened in one of the most active areas of new zealand right in the plate boundary zone.
New zealand in store for extreme earthquake as fault lines collide. Major fault lines dissect the nation, snaking up the western coast of the south island before splitting in two just south of the. Wrcrpt96 greater wellington regional council, wellington, new zealand. 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 zones set to. Those that are considered likely to move again in the future are called active faults. Many of the larger faults are oblique strike slip faults, having a combination of sideways and vertical movement. Christchurch was considered relatively low risk before 2010, and new fault lines are still being. The wellington fault wellington gc1c0a5 was created by j n k on 562008. Christchurch was considered relatively low risk before 2010, and new fault lines are still being found. Wellington fault within next 100 years preits our fault. Waikato regional councils regional ground shaking risk zones and active fault lines map uses information provided by the institute of geological and nuclear sciences gns.
They are known to have ruptured the ground surface at least once in. In the north island, there is another, separate fault line running along the length of the. Along with describing the effects of the 1848 earthquakes and the social response to them, the visitation also explains their cause the relationship between earthquakes and movement on fault lines, first discovered in the late 1880s by the celebrated new zealand geologist, alexander mckay, following a large earthquake in north canterbury on. An earthquake has occurred, and the town of wellington is in ruins. Sep 08, 2010 safest place in new zealand would probably be canterbury or far north but quakes dont happen exactly on fault lines. Though the 1855 earthquake was the most dramatic earthquake ever recorded in wellington, many larger and smaller quakes have had a role in shaping our geography, our building practices, the layout of our city, and our social history. Major earthquake could split wellington region into seven islands.
At least six fault lines ruptured in new zealand quake the. The christchurch quakes were very very shallow, you really want to live somewhere where there is a lot of land mass on top of the plate, away from riverslakes and volcanoes. A number of major fault lines are in a band that runs the length of new zealand. It forms part of the north island fault system, which accommodates the. As far away as wellington, people were shaken from their beds and had to take shelter. Many fault lines cut the grounds surface in new zealand. 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. Gc1c0a5 the wellington fault wellington earthcache in.
Wellington owes its distinctive landscape to this fault. Wellington fault major faults in new zealand earthquakes. The shaking was also felt in hamilton, where it gently swayed for close to a minute. Where are the main fault lines in new zealand answers. The wellington fault active faults te ara encyclopedia of. A newly discovered active fault line along wellingtons harbour could result in a large quake for the city, scientists say.
Major earthquake could split wellington region into seven. Dowricks 46 research works with 793 citations and 1,850 reads, including. In the capital, a gns science study puts the estimated probability of a rupture of the wellingtonhutt valley segment of the wellington fault during the next 100 years at about 11%. New zealand quake rips new fault in earth world news asia. They disturb the earths surface, damaging people and property. That corner of the south island is a mangled mess of mountains riddle with earthquake fault lines. Major fault lines dissect the nation, snaking up the western coast of the south island before splitting in two just south of the capital wellington. In 1979, the murchison district museum and historical society gathered first hand accounts of the earthquake.
Four ruptured fault lines extending into the sea are likely the cause of a. The wellington fault forms distinctive landscape features running right through the central city. Hidden megathrust fault could hammer new zealand with 8. The devastating earthquake that tore through christchurch on tuesday is the product of a new fault line in the earths crust that seismologists were previously unaware of.
The coverages represent overlays of all previous earthquake hazard data. Kilometres beneath wellington the light, thick australian plate rides over the heavier, but thinner pacific plate. About 20 percent of the regions population live on soils prone to movement during earthquakes. The deadliest earthquake in new zealand was the 1931 hawkes bay earthquake, napier earthquake which claimed 256 lives followed by the june. It was centered in the cook strait, 20 kilometres east of seddon, at a depth of 17 kilometres. New zealand could be in the firing line of a devastating tsunami and earthquake after the awakening of a dormant fault line, a geologist warns. The wellington fault active faults te ara encyclopedia. The worst natural disaster risks facing new zealand. In scientific terms, the kaikoura earthquake was a new phenomenon. New zealand lies directly on the alpine fault, which runs almost theentire length of the south island.
For almost two minutes, the kaikoura earthquake tore through fault lines, demolishing houses, ripping up roads and railways, and causing massive landslides as it travelled. May 31, 2015 thus fault lines evolved from the sharing of stories, observations and firsthand experiences of those involved. Intensive research has been done to understand the nature of the fault and the best ways to reduce possible earthquake damage and loss. The 2016 kaikoura earthquake, which ruptured parts of the humps, the hundalee, hope, jordan thurst, papatea, kekerengu and needles faults. Usually you expect one big earthquake on one big fault, but like in the christchurch earthquakes, and in fact we saw this in edgecumbe in 1987. The alpine fault ruptureson averageevery 330 years with a magnitude 8 earthquake. New zealand quake rips new fault in earth world news.
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