2016 Kaikōura earthquake

2016 Kaikōura earthquake
Demolition of 61 Molesworth Street in Wellington
UTC time2016-11-13 11:02:56
ISC event615035032
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local date14 November 2016 (2016-11-14)
Local time00:02:56 NZDT
Duration~ 2 minutes[1]
Magnitude7.8 Mw[2][3]
Depth15.1 km (9.4 mi)
Epicentre42°44′13″S 173°03′14″E / 42.737°S 173.054°E / -42.737; 173.054
15 km (9.3 mi) north-east of Culverden
TypeOblique-slip
Areas affectedNew Zealand
Total damageUS$1.62 billion (insurance loss)
Max. intensityMMI IX (Violent)[2]
Peak acceleration3.23 g[4]
Tsunami7 m (23 ft)
LandslidesYes
Aftershocks> 20,200[5] (as of 22 November 2017)
Casualties2 dead[6]
57 injured[7]

The 2016 Kaikōura earthquake was a Mw 7.8 earthquake in the South Island of New Zealand that occurred two minutes after midnight on 14 November 2016 NZDT (11:02 on 13 November UTC).[2] Ruptures occurred on multiple faults and the earthquake has been described as the "most complex earthquake ever studied".[8] It has been subsequently modelled as having a megathrust component set off by an adjacent rupture on the Humps Fault.[9] It was the second largest earthquake in New Zealand since European settlement.[10]

The earthquake started at about 15 kilometres (9 mi) north-east of Culverden and 60 kilometres (37 mi) south-west of the tourist town of Kaikōura and at a depth of approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 miles).[3][11][12] The complex sequence of ruptures lasted about two minutes.[1] The cumulative magnitude of the ruptures was 7.8, with the largest amount of that energy released far to the north of the epicentre.[13]

Over 45,000 insurance claims were received, resulting in a loss of NZ$2.27 billion (US$1.62 billion).[14] There were two deaths, in Kaikōura and Mount Lyford.[6][15]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference dominos was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c "M7.8 – 53 km NNE of Amberley, New Zealand". United States Geological Survey. 13 November 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Magnitude 7.8, Mon, Nov 14 2016, 12:02:56 am (NZDT)". GeoNet. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  4. ^ Goto, Hiroyuki; Kaneko, Yoshihiro; Young, John; Avery, Hamish; Damiano, Len (4 February 2019). "Extreme Accelerations During Earthquakes Caused by Elastic Flapping Effect". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 1117. Bibcode:2019NatSR...9.1117G. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-37716-y. PMC 6361895. PMID 30718810.
  5. ^ "A year on, how is the Kaikōura aftershock sequence playing out compared to Darfield?". GeoNet. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Earthquake: Deaths, major damage after severe 7.5 quake hits Hanmer Springs, tsunami warning issued". New Zealand: Stuff. 14 November 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  7. ^ "As it happened: A second day of aftershocks as evacuations began in earthquake-hit Kaikoura". TVNZ. 14 November 2016.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Amos was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Herman, MW; Furlong, KP; Benz, HM (2023). "Substantial Upper Plate Faulting Above a Shallow Subduction Megathrust Earthquake: Mechanics and Implications of the Surface Faulting During the 2016 Kaikoura, New Zealand, Earthquake". Tectonics. 42 (5) e2022TC007645. Bibcode:2023Tecto..4207645H. doi:10.1029/2022TC007645.
  10. ^ "Marlborough earthquakes – 2013 and 2016". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  11. ^ "Region by region: severe quake hits". New Zealand: Stuff. 13 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  12. ^ Taylor, Matthew (13 November 2016). "Tsunami hits New Zealand east coast after 7.5-magnitude earthquake". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  13. ^ "Kaikoura earthquake update: Magnitude revised". GeoNet. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  14. ^ "Cost of natural disasters – ICNZ". icnz.org.nz. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference mirror was invoked but never defined (see the help page).