Similarly, unusual earthquakes can also lead to volcanic eruptions. It's a string of volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean, and the region is prone to earthquakes. Especially as repair work was still underway. Now, I find myself wondering, how difficult it is to establish NZ residency? Here the Nasca plate is pushing into South America. Gauges Historical Events. We live in a very exciting country. So, yes, it is true that New Zealand has a lot of earthquakes, and one could even say that tectonic activity in New Zealand is ten times more frequent than it is in California. White Island is our most continually active volcano. Рike riddle: that from this list will be used in New Zealand? Choose either an earthquake or a volcanic eruption. - The recent event is much closer and shallower. I often wonder over the millenia how many Islands that at one time were huge and habitable are now hidden under the waves somewhere. Volcano Level Volcanic Activity Ruapehu 2 Moderate to heightened volcanic unrest. Earthquakes and volcanoes are natural phenomena resulting from the plate tectonics. “When these super volcanoes erupted, they caused earthquakes, tsunamis, blew away mountains and covered continents in hot lava. As others have said, the building standards in NZ are very high with specific earthquake-related elements. Yet going back even…, X-ray diffraction patterns reveal the orientation of fat crystals. The most intense earthquake activity is where subduction is taking place, but there is some earthquake activity along the mid-ocean ridges and above mantle ‘hot-spots’ Earthquakes in New Zealand occur because we are located on the boundary of two of the world’s major tectonic plates – the Pacific Plate and the Australian Plate. Curious Minds is a Government initiative jointly led by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the Ministry of Education and the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor. I too am an atheist. All these volcanoes are monitored by the existing seismic network, which should give early warning of renewed volcanic activity. I wooda thunk that New Zealand being a rich enlightened country, and being in such a geologically active area would have very good construction standards. The Sep 4th event occurred in the wee hours of the morning, when all but those living in inner city apartments would be in the suburbs at home. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few … For example, when Tarawera erupted in 1886, more than 30 earthquakes were felt in the Rotorua region just before the eruption. New Zealand has so many earthquakes and volcanoes because it is in the wrong place (at the juncture of two tectonic plates) at the wrong time (while one plate is diving beneath the other). This one happened close to the surface, which made it so damaging. There was quite a lot of chatter after the last Chch quake about them, and how many lives they had probably saved. Drums Earthquakes Forecasts Historical Events Search Slow Slip Statistics Strong Motion. And to say "thanks, Greg" ! ), Forgot to add, there's more on the census and the earthquake at sciblogs.co.nz, where I and ~30 others blog. The effects of an earthquake can vary depending on: and discussion of seismic lensing off the basalt of the Port Hills here: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10708579, Hello from the States. But seriously, I'll be talking about the story of the current…, In every area of life, but especially in the overlapping realms of technology, science, and health, misunderstanding how things work can be widespread, and that misunderstanding can lead to problems. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few … I am extrapolating here from what I know about seismic codes in the Western US. Look at this blow-up of a map from Wikipedia showing the relative movements along boundaries of several tectonic plates: I've circled three things on this map, in green. The Hawaiian Islands are true oceanic islands. FAQ Gallery Glossary How Intensity Videos. Wouldn't you?? As the brittle crust gives way under the pressure, a fault ruptures and an earthquake is unleashed. This is because it sits plum on the Pacific Ring of Fire – unsurprisingly a volatile area. GeoNet Geological hazard information for New Zealand. Thick lava flows down the sides of the mountain and builds up steep sides. The Christchurch quake, scientists say, was meanwhile part of the same spate that had seen thousands of quakes triggered by the 7.1 earthquake which … This pattern is part of the ‘Ring of Fire’, the almost continuous belt of volcanoes and earthquakes rimming the Pacific Ocean. If you include all those > M=3, it has had literally hundreds in the last 6 months. DD. These pools ... those at the subduction juncture itself and those formed secondarily higher up ... are the source of lava for numerous volcanoes. Waimangu Volcanic Valley. Why New Zealand has active volcanoes. The Pacific Ring of Fire is aptly named. Ed was in the Coast…, Etna Week Part 1 You'd have to see to get what I mean. But after Monday's fatal eruption, some question whether they should have been there at all. In particular, those that happen in the middle of…, Two tidbits from New Zealand: In general, a volcanic eruption is accompanied by earthquakes. When we think of volcanoes, we often picture volcanoes like Mt Taranaki or Mt Ruapehu. As the affected area includes some historic buildings (including the cathedral, which BBC reports has lost its spire) in the Christchurch city center, I would not be surprised to hear that many of these older buildings wouldn't meet modern construction codes. It’s been active for 150,000 years! New Zealand consists in part of fragments of continent (in green) carried away from Australia millions of years ago. The energy spreads outward in waves, which shake the Earth. Re: cell phones. Mine is a stream of snippets and links as the events unfolded and somewhat aimed at locals who know the places. (Christchurch is my hometown, btw; I now live in Dunedin.). For the most recent news on the earthquake in New Zealand, click here. Both New Zealand and California sit on the edge of the Pacific Plate, but in very different places and on very different types of plate boundaries. Earthquakes tend to be concentrated at the edges of tectonic plates, as these areas build up energy as plates move in relation to each other. Common sense works much better than all that fancy-pants factual stuff. They tried to re-enter the building but were repeatedly thrown back away from the entrance way. Most events occur along the main ranges running from Fiordland in the southwest to East Cape in the northeast. Note that the relative movement of the plates, indicated by the arrow, is as described, with one plate grinding past the other. Does one trigger the other? That hasn’t…. Earthquakes are caused when tectonic plates shift and push over each other. quibblista: Interesting. I didn't know this was about to happen. Quality infrared cameras mounted also on fighters, but the possibility of detection of small objects is limited by the speed of aircraft. After about 100 million years ago, New Zealand started to move increasingly far from major continents, with a full scale separation from Gonwanaland happening about 85 million years ago. The Building Code in New Zealand is for high quality surviable construction, two articles of interest arehttp://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10708582. In fact, most earthquakes strike within the ring. I'm sure Pat Robertson will set us straight on why these earthquakes happened. Mount Etna - Brief Anatomy of an Exceptional Volcano New Zealand, Japan, and many other areas that form the so-called "Ring of Fire" making up the boundary of the Pacific plate consist of a combination of volcanic material and sediments related to the instability of subduction zones. GeoNet is New Zealand’s official source of earthquakes and volcanic alerts. Great explanation of the science behind why we here in New Zealand experience so many earthquakes. Older construction, not necessarily. We typically get about 20 or so of M=5 per year, but most often well away from the larger centres. Photo: Waimangu Geothermal Region . This article provides an overview of the enhancements to the hazard module, including a discussion on the innovative methodology and highest quality data used to enhance our ability to quantify seismic risk across New Zealand and how AIR … New Zealand is a new island nation. Our extremes are due to where our country sits. Cayhina232000, Hope friends or family in Christchurch are all right. There are areas where one plate is moving towards another, or two plates move towards each other. In New Zealand, volcanoes and earthquakes are related in that they are both caused by the tectonic plates our country sits on. This is because it sits plum on the Pacific Ring of Fire – unsurprisingly a volatile area. Volcanoes and earthquakes are often found in the same place, but are they related? The plates move up, the plates move down, you can't explain that. New Zealand has so many earthquakes and volcanoes because it is in the wrong place (at the juncture of two tectonic plates) at the wrong time (while one plate is diving beneath the other). Volcanoes typically occur in narrow bands along plate margins. You hear things like this from New Zealand now and then, including just a short time ago when the same region was struck buy a somewhat larger quake, but one apparently located farther from the center of population. (Not an expert, just what I've picked up; it's the second time around on this for Chch. To the lower right I've circled the western coast of South America. Bitter Or Sweet? The facts and evidence from the natural enviroment on why the earth behaves as it does (eg earthquakes, volcanoes and other geological and meteorological activity) and the animals (of which we are selves are) and plants are the way they are, is far more interesting and wholely believable; than saying it is a punishment from some mythological being that does not exist. Based on what I see in your blog, similar problems are occurring as happened in New York on 9/11 with cell phones and such. Its land isn’t even 10,000 years old yet! We know of super volcano eruptions that blew so much ash and gasses into the atmosphere, that global climate changed dramatically. New Zealand was once dubbed The Shaky Isles due to it being one of the most seismically active countries in the world. These plates are colliding with huge force, causing one to slowly grind over, under or alongside the other. Not to worry Phillip V - We're 55.6% Christian only until the Census on Tuesday after next. The volcanism of New Zealand has been responsible for many of the country's geographical features, especially in the North Island and the country's outlying islands. Dams Projects Reports. But this complexity can be characterized in a rather simple way that probably describes the geology of New Zealand quite accurately: Modern New Zealand is the froth that forms on the surface of the earth over a subduction zone, where one continental plate is diving under another. Explain to your students that you are about to give them the locations of some earthquakes to plot. The telecomm people then try to bring in generators to cover them until the power is back up. from a major non profit, click through the the X Blog to read the press release. It's because of the gays, or something else that gawd is mad at the Kiwis for. Most earthquakes directly beneath a volcano are caused by the movement of magma. ScienceBlogs is where scientists communicate directly with the public. Invoking the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, a federal conspiracy law devised to ensnare mobsters, the suit accuses the organizations, as well as several green campaigners…. New Zealand is one of the most tectonically active countries in the world and sits astride the plate margin between the Australian plate and the Pacific plate. Editor's Note: AIR plans to release a substantially updated earthquake model for New Zealand this summer (winter in the Southern Hemisphere). They look like an upside down ice cream cone with smoke coming from the peak. In the future I will be blogging at Greg Laden's blog, located at its original home at gregladen.com. As its name suggests, the water can get VERY HOT! Fortunately, it mostly releases gases and steam. This is my last post at Scienceblogs.com. GNS Science is the Crown research institute responsible for monitoring earthquakes and volcanoes. 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