Secrets wrapped in a shell
Dead shellfish could hold secrets to earthquake history, and assist in predicting future ones.
Researchers say shellfish shells locked up in Te Papa in Wellington could reveal the frequency and size of past earthquakes and tsunamis on New Zealand's east coast.
GNS Science researcher Dr Kate Clark says shellfish died when the coastline lifted or dropped suddenly.
‘‘We are very lucky that Te Papa has a collection of over 300,000 lots of shells, comprising several million specimens, dating back into the 1800s with notes of exactly where and when they were collected and when the shellfish died.''
By dating the shells, Clark will provide data to forecast future earthquakes.
The research could prepare communities for what may be in store along the Hikurangi subduction zone. The zone is thought to have generated about 10 large or ‘‘super-large'' earthquakes over the past 7000 years, and runs offshore from Gisborne to the top of the South Island.
Clark's new research aims to pinpoint each event to within about 50 years. Her team has processed the first samples, and its members believe they're on track to significantly improve the accuracy of ages for past earthquakes.
Clark was grateful that Earthquake Commission (EQC) funding had enabled her to do the research.
‘‘This kind of underpinning research does not fit into any normal category, so it was hard to get funding, but it is really important data for New Zealand.''
E-scooters will be restricted to 15kmh on Wellington's waterfront, as part of an agreement to continue the rideshare scheme in the city.
The change means e-scooter speeds will be restricted by ‘‘geofencing'' technology, such as GPS, on shared pathways along the waterfront and Oriental Parade.
There is currently no councilenforced speed restriction on e-scooters across most of the city, although there are exceptions such as the 10kmh limit outside Wellington Regional Hospital.
The waterfront speed limit was proposed by Wellington City councillor Jenny Condie as one of the conditions of extending licences for e-scooter operators Flamingo and Jump until the end of 2020. It would be enforced once those operators had implemented the technology into their scooters.
The limit would not apply to privately-owned scooters, although the New Zealand Transport Agency was proposing a universal 15kmh limit on footpaths for mobility devices, such as e-scooters.
It was unclear how that would be policed.
At a council meeting yesterday, councillors agreed unanimously to the 15kmh limit on the waterfront, although Iona Pannett, Sean Rush and Simon Woolf preferred a 10kmh limit.
That was despite advice from council officers that such a low speed would be dangerous as it could cause scooters to wobble.
Figures from Wellington Regional Hospital showed there were 71 emergency department visits related to e-scooters in one period.