Be Prepared for a big 'Quake NZ...

[Rockhopper]

According to the Geo-science boys and girls.

A West Coast community will need to consider drastic changes to its town to prepare for an inevitable Alpine Fault earthquake.

The fault runs diagonally through Franz Josef township and geologists have recommended a "fault avoidance zone" 100 metres either side to protect buildings.

GNS Science sent four of its geologists to Franz Josef to talk about what will happen when the Alpine Fault ruptures.

The 600-kilometre fault has ruptured five times in the past 1100 years. Each time it produced an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 to 8.0, the last being in 1717.

Dr Ursula Cochran said studying the fault was complicated because different sections had ruptured at different times.

While researching a section of the fault in South Westland, Cochran and her team found evidence for 24 earthquakes over 8000 years.

Based on this and similar research, scientists calculated the average interval between earthquakes was about 300 years in South Westland.

From that information, scientists conclude there is a 30 per cent chance of a large earthquake occurring on the southern section of the fault in the next 50 years.

That is considered reasonably high by global standards.

Source.

Tim

[Rogue]

Yeah saw this a few days ago, is this far from you Rockles?

[Rockhopper]

It's some distance away from here Roggie. On the other side of the island across the mountains. Perhaps 350Km by road.

Tim.

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