NZ Braced For 8 Mag Earthquake Causing Tsunami to Hit Australia
New Zealand’s South Island could be hit by a 8.1 earthquake causing tsunami waves powerful enough to hit Australia, researchers have warned. The Alpine Fault line, which runs 310 miles (500km) up the western side of the South Island, has historically produced a powerful 8.1 magnitude earthquake roughly every three centuries, with the last shift hitting in 1717.
Scientists at the Bureau of Meteorology, based in Melbourne, said the earthquake could therefore hit this year.
If the earthquake hit tomorrow, more than 100,000 people could be cut off from mainland New Zealand and up to 120 highways would be disrupted or destroyed by the quake, scientists estimated after studying data from the Kaikoura quake in 2016.
And a tsunami could crash into the eastern coast of Australia, creating further destruction. A tsunami could hit the most built up and populous areas of Australia, with cities Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra located on the east coast.
Hobart on the island of Tasmania, could also be in the direct path of a tsunami if seismic activity hits the Alpine Fault, according to scientists.
Writing in the New Zealand Dr Phaedra Upton wrote: “There will be a similar earthquake soon.
“In fact, the last great earthquake occurred over 300 years ago and the average recurrence for such events is less than 300 years.”
The tectonic plate in the area has produced 8.1 magnitude ruptures over the past 8000 years, the scientists say.
The last one, in 1717, hit so hard it shifted the southern side of the island by as much as eight metres in a matter of seconds.
Mrs Upton wrote in the paper that continuing research into the deadly fault could help the country understand when the next huge quake could strike the region. Mrs Upton said in the journal: “Whatever we can learn about this fault - and how it moves - will help us understand and prepare for the next great earthquake.”
New Zealand was last hit by an earthquake in November 2016, causing damage to cities such as North Canterbury and Wellington and prompting evacuations in Christchurch.
It measured a magnitude 7.8 in Kaikoura on the South Island, with researchers using the disaster to measure future potential quakes in the region – and the devastating consequences of a major force quake rocking the region.
In 2011, the city of Christchurch was levelled by a powerful 6.2 magnitude quake that killed 185 people. The city was decimated, with parrts of the city still being rebuilt today.
Express