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Land Information Report Explanatory Notes

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Earthquakes and Tsunamis

Introduction

Canterbury is susceptible to significant adverse effects from earthquakes and tsunamis. While it is not possible to reduce the incidence of these events, steps can be taken to reduce the vulnerability of the community to their impacts. Lessening the impacts of earthquakes and tsunamis will save lives, reduce damage and disruption, and enable a faster recovery.

Earthquake Source Information

Environment Canterbury has a database of known active faults and fold structures in Canterbury and nearby. Earthquakes are generated on faults, fold and other structures. The faults are mapped at a scale of 1:250,000 for the whole region and at 1:50,000 for part of the northern area of the region. Information on fault type, length, average displacement, slip rates, last rupture and recurrence interval is available for most of the faults.

Fault location information is largely restricted to the hilly and mountainous parts of the region. Some offshore fault information north of Christchurch is also available.

Instrumentally recorded seismicity beneath the Canterbury Plains is indicative of active earth deformation. However, there are very few known ground surface expressions of active faults or fold structures on the Canterbury Plains. For this reason, there is very limited information on earthquake sources beneath the Canterbury Plains.

Historic Earthquake Hazard Information

Information on historic earthquakes impacting on Christchurch, Hurunui District and Timaru District is available.

Earthquake Effects Information

General

Earthquake scenarios and general likely damage information for Kaikoura, Arthur’s Pass, Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Christchurch, Ashburton, Temuka and Timaru is available.

Peak ground acceleration, spectral acceleration and Modified Mercalli Intensity for 50, 150, 475 and 1000 year return times are also available for these urban areas.

This information is available as contour maps (hard copy) for the whole region.

Tsunami

Tsunami inundation information is available for Timaru and Hurunui Districts, and Christchurch City.

Liquefaction

General information on the potential for liquefaction in the Waimakariri District (the area between the coast and State Highway 1) is available.

Liquefaction information for Christchurch (1:35,000 scale) is also available. More detailed work on the liquefaction susceptibility in Christchurch is currently being carried out. Christchurch City Council has detailed information on the potential effects of liquefaction in some parts of Christchurch.

Regional scale liquefaction information is also available for Hurunui and Timaru Districts.

Ground Shaking

Regional scale information on the variation in ground shaking hazard in Timaru and Hurunui Districts, and within Christchurch City is available. No information on the modification of ground shaking from topographic shielding or focusing is available. These generally localised effects can be very pronounced.

Limitations and Constraints of the information

Earthquake and tsunami hazard information available is regional in scope and cannot be substituted for a site specific investigation. Local variation in ground response from earthquakes is likely to occur. The site specific potential for and consequent damage from earthquakes and tsunami should be assessed by a suitably qualified and experienced practitioner.
Hazard information provided is based on the best information available at the time of the studies and was supplied to Environment Canterbury under specific contract arrangements including financial and time constraints.
The hazard information may be liable to change or review if new information is made available.
Earthquake hazard and tsunami inundation zone boundaries are approximate and indicative only.
The liquefaction and ground shaking hazard classifications are indicative only, and do not imply any level of damage to particular structures or services.

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