alpine fault earthquakes

The next Alpine Fault earthquake would likely also be a long-duration event – unzipping the crust for as much as three minutes - because of the sheer length of the fault. The fault, which runs about 600km up the western side of the South Island between Milford Sound and Marlborough, poses one of the biggest natural threats to New Zealand - especially the West Coast, Canterbury and Otago. “One of the outcomes of this study is that you should expect a shorter recurrence interval of strong shaking at fault section ends,” Langridge said. "By comparison, the Kaikōura Earthquake in 2016 ruptured a total fault length of 200km in the space of about two minutes," said Holden. If the Alpine Fault does trigger another magnitude 8-plus quake in the near future, GNS says it will "have a major impact on the lives of many people", and likely be "one of the biggest earthquakes since European settlement of New Zealand". However, it is now inferred by multiples lines of evidence that the Alpine Fault ruptures creating major earthquakes about every few hundred years. The fault is a strike-slip boundary in which the Australian Plate and the Pacific plate are moving horizontally past each other. The largest city within the highest-risk zone is the nation's capital, Wellington, followed by Hastings then Napier. “Once we started working there [at the Staples site] the story really grew in large part because of the richness of dateable organic material in the trenches.”. It is very difficult to predict whether an Alpine Fault earthquake could trigger any activity on the Marlborough Fault System and the Hikurangi Subduction Zone, but it is highly unlikely that a single earthquake could rupture right through from the Alpine Fault to the Hikurangi Subduction Zone. An Alpine Fault rupture could produce one of the most destructive earthquakes since European settlement of New Zealand because of its geologic characteristics. How will the next Alpine Fault earthquake compare to the M7.1 Darfield earthquake of 4 September 2010? The four most recent earthquakes uncovered by the researchers at the site range in dates from 1084 to 1848. Recent research by GNS Science has extended our knowledge of the Alpine fault earthquake record back through the past 8,000 years. Radiocarbon dating places this earthquake between 1813 and 1848. The Alpine Fault • Running about 600km up the spine of the South Island, the Alpine Fault is the boundary of the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates. What will the climate be like when Earth’s next supercontinent forms? For every one unit increase in magnitude (e.g. Langridge and colleagues said that there isn’t enough evidence yet to favor one of these scenarios over the others. At John O'Groats, core samples showed layers similar to those found at Hokuri Creek. High Heat Flow and Geothermal Gradient. But there has been as little as 140 years and as much as 510 years between Alpine fault earthquakes. Citing Literature. Credits: Video - Newshub; Image - NASA/file. But Dr Langridge and colleagues have now confirmed smaller quakes can happen on the fault in between the big ones. The Alpine Fault is one of the world's major plate boundaries and New Zealand's most hazardous earthquake-generating fault. Reference: The science While we can’t predict when earthquakes will occur, scientific research has shown that the Alpine Fault has a regular history of producing large earthquakes. The Alpine Fault has a high probability (estimated at 30%) of rupturing in the next 50 years. This is more recent than the 1717 quake, which has been estimated at magnitude 8.1 - nearly three times stronger than the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake - and shifted one side 8m relative to the other. The Alpine Fault is sometimes compared with California's San Andreas Fault, being another fast-moving strike slip fault near a plate boundary. The rupture will produce one of the biggest earthquakes since European settlement of New Zealand, and it will have a major impact on the lives of many people. Together these sites revealed evidence of 27 Alpine Fault earthquakes over the last 8000 years! There isn't enough evidence yet to favour one scenario over the others, Dr Langridge said. The last such earthquake took place in 1717. In the past ~1000 years there have been four large earthquakes on the Alpine Fault and two large … The earthquake will last for about two minutes. An Alpine Fault earthquake will likely rupture … It has ruptured four times in the last 900 years, resulting in earthquakes of around magnitude 8, and is now considered highly probable to go again in the next 50 years. The Alpine Fault stretches for hundreds of miles (kilometres) like a spine along New Zealand's South Island. And the towns of Hokitika and Greymouth are sitting right in the firing line. All these cities have experienced severe earthquakes since European settlement. "One of the outcomes of this study is that you should expect a shorter recurrence interval of strong shaking at fault section ends. In addition to the newly discovered quake, they found more evidence for three big quakes - one between 1084 and 1276, a second between 1250 and 1580, and the most recent big one, which they dated to between 1673 and 1792. The effect of fluid differentials on an Alpine Fault earthquake is obviously significant but presently unquantified. The 100-metre and 150-metre probes of stage one were … Last year, GNS Science earthquake scientist Rob Langridge and Victoria University paleoseismologist Jamie Howarth uncovered evidence of a previously unknown quake that took place sometime between 1740 and 1840. Deep low-frequency earthquakes indicate migration of magmatic fluids beneath Laacher See... Alaska Centennial Nugget : Largest Gold Nugget Ever Found in Alaska, New source of energy-critical lithium found in supervolcanoes, Marine life recovery following the dinosaurs’ extinction, New trilobite fossil reveals cephalic specialization of trilobites in Middle Cambrian. Discussion: Maximum Earthquake Magnitude. Alternatively, the quake might have been centred further north, the rupture spreading along the fault to the southwest where Dr Langridge and his team did their digging; or possibly triggered by a separate quake in the Marlborough Fault System. The length of the rupture will be up to 400 km, eg. The 19th century quake was perhaps only a partial-section slip, Dr Langridge said, proving activity on the Alpine Fault is more complex than previously thought - particularly in its north, where it meets up with other fault zones, such as the Marlborough Fault System. However, the plates are locked and when they overcome these barriers, they produce large but … “One of the real challenges with the Alpine Fault — because it is so bush-covered — is actually finding sites that have been cleared and therefore can be studied,” said Langridge. By analysing sediment deposited at two sites in Fiordland, scientists have established that the Alpine Fault has ruptured 27 times over the last 8000 … Alpine Fault Geometry and Physical Properties at Depth. In between earthquakes, the Alpine Fault is locked. Related video: Alpine Fault overdue for magnitude 8+ quake - scientists. Conclusions. It runs as a single structure for over 500 km. The investigation found the mean interval between large earthquakes on the fault is 330 years and two thirds of the intervals were between 260 and 400 years. Robert M. Langridge, Pilar Villamor, Jamie D. Howarth, William F. Ries, Kate J. Clark, Nicola J. Litchfield. Because of the recurrence times of earthquakes though, you obviously have to wait a long time to see the effects of such fault behavior.". Discussion: Alpine Fault Rupture Scenarios. "Once we started working there, the story really grew in large part because of the richness of dateable organic material in the trenches.". “Because of the recurrence times of earthquakes though, you obviously have to wait a long time to see the effects of such fault behavior.”, “That’s why paleoseismology is a vital tool in understanding faults,” he added, “because otherwise we’d have only short insights into the past.”. The most recent earthquake could represent a “partial-section” rupture of only the central portion of the Alpine fault, a rupture of the fault’s northern section that continued southwest into the central segment, or even triggered slip from a rupture along the nearby Marlborough Fault System. "An important outcome is that sites or towns near fault intersections and section ends may experience strong ground motions more frequently due to locally shorter rupture recurrence intervals," the study, published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America this week, says. This means, for instance, that an Alpine Fault earthquake of M8.1 would release about 30 times more energy that the Darfield earthquake of M7.1. Because of this during the mid 20th century it was speculated that the Alpine Fault creeps without making large earthquakes. The Alpine Fault is a geological fault, known as a right-lateral strike-slip fault, that runs almost the entire length of New Zealand's South Island. Simulation shows widespread damage if Alpine Fault ruptures, 'What was that?!' The last major earthquake on the Alpine Fault was in 1717, so we're already a little overdue for one of the biggest earthquakes in New Zealand's modern history. 7.4 magnitude quake hits off NZ's coast, Kiwis warned to stay out of water, The South Island regions an Alpine Fault quake would affect most, Alpine Fault overdue for magnitude 8+ quake - scientists, Copyright © 2020 MediaWorks TV - All Rights Reserved, By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Access and Privacy Policy, uncovered evidence of a previously unknown quake. The Alpine Fault is sometimes compared with California’s San Andreas Fault, being another fast-moving strike slip fault near a plate boundary. Hokitika and Greymouth are sitting right in the days or years following it tectonic stress,. 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