 The Alpine Fault is clearly visible from space, running along the western edge of the Southern Alps from the southwestern coast towards the northeastern corner of the South Island.
Simplified tectonic map of the New Zealand plate boundary, including the Alpine Fault. USGS.
 This map, coloured by elevation, shows how the Alpine Fault affects the topography of the South Island's West Coast. The region shown is 495 km (307 mi) long; northwest is at the top. 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. It forms a transform boundary between the Pacific Plate and the Indo-Australian Plate. Earthquakes along the fault, and the associated earth movements, have formed the Southern Alps. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 458 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2600 × 3400 pixel, file size: 1. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 458 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2600 × 3400 pixel, file size: 1. ...
The Southern Alps is a mountain range which runs along the western side of the South Island of New Zealand. ...
The South Island The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. ...
Image File history File links NZ_transform. ...
Image File history File links NZ_transform. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (5342x1746, 1438 KB) [edit] Summary Description from [2]: The Alpine fault runs parallel to, and just inland of, much of the west coast of New Zealands South Island. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (5342x1746, 1438 KB) [edit] Summary Description from [2]: The Alpine fault runs parallel to, and just inland of, much of the west coast of New Zealands South Island. ...
The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island, and is one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country. ...
Old fault exposed by roadcut near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. ...
The South Island The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. ...
In plate tectonics, a transform boundary (also known as transform fault boundary, transform plate boundary, transform plate margin, slip boundary or conservative plate boundary) is said to occur when tectonic plates slide and grind against each other along a transform fault. ...
The Pacific plate, shown in pale yellow The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate beneath the Pacific Ocean. ...
The Indo-Australian plate, shown in dull orange The Indo-Australian Plate is an overarching name for two tectonic plates that include the continent of Australia and surrounding ocean extending northwest to include the Indian subcontinent and adjacent waters. ...
The Southern Alps is a mountain range which runs along the western side of the South Island of New Zealand. ...
Beginning off the southwestern corner of the South Island, the Alpine Fault runs along the western edge of the Southern Alps, then splits into three parallel faults north of Arthur's Pass. Average slip rates in the fault's central region are about 30mm a year, very fast by global standards. Arthurs Pass Arthurs Pass is an alpine crossing of the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. ...
Historic earthquakes
The Alpine Fault and its northern offshoots have experienced sizeable earthquakes in historic times: - 1848 - Marlborough. Estimated magnitude = 7.5.
- 1888 - North Canterbury. Estimated magnitude = 7.3.
- 1929 - Arthur's Pass. Estimated magnitude = 7.1.
- 1929 - Murchison. Estimated magnitude = 7.8.
- 1968 - Inangahua. Estimated magnitude = 7.1.
- 2003 - Fiordland. Estimated magnitude = 7.1.
transform fault boundaries are when two boundaries grind up against eachother
Major ruptures Over the last thousand years, there have been four major ruptures along the Alpine Fault causing earthquakes of about magnitude 8. These occurred in approximately 1100, 1450, 1620 and 1717 AD, at intervals between 100 and 350 years. The 1717 quake appears to have involved a rupture along nearly 400km of the southern two thirds of the fault. Scientists say that a similar earthquake could happen at any time as the interval since 1717 is longer than between the earlier events. [1]
Large ruptures can also trigger earthquakes on the faults continuing north from the Alpine Fault.
See also This article is about the natural seismic phenomenon. ...
The tectonic plates of the world were mapped in the second half of the 20th century. ...
Seismology (from the Greek seismos = earthquake and logos = word) is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth. ...
References - Robinson, R. (2003). Potential earthquake triggering in a complex fault network: the northern South Island, New Zealand. Geophysical Journal International, 159(2), 734-748. (abstract)
- Wells, A., Yetton, M.T., Duncan, R.P., and Stewart, G.H. (1999) Prehistoric dates of the most recent Alpine fault earthquakes, New Zealand. Geology, 27(11), 995-998. (abstract)
External links University of Otago Geology Department: - Overview
- Virtual Field Trip
- Potential effects of major rupture
Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences Limited (GNS): - Summary from the New Zealand Active Faults Database (includes a map, photos, and references)
- Map of New Zealand's Historic Earthquakes
- FAQ on Alpine Fault
- Press release, 10 September 1998
Miscellaneous: - Earthquakes and Tectonics in New Zealand
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