Quick Dips

Wellington At Fault

The major fault running through Wellington and the Hutt valley is one of the most serious natural hazards in New Zealand, according to the NZ Geological Survey. The fault runs from about 20 kilometres south of the city up through the North Island to the Bay of Plenty.

Terraces at Te Marua indicate at least five separate ruptures over the last few thousand years. In these ruptures, the land moved horizontally for 3-4 metres during very strong earthquakes of around magnitude 7.5.

The survey estimates a 600-year interval between these major earthquakes. It is attempting to determine when the most recent movements occurred to calculate the probability of the next fault rupture.

Resource Research, Issue 18