Are the islands of New Zealand coming closer?
Post the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked New Zealand, the country's South Island has slid a bit closer to its North Island.
Cape Campbell on the northern side of the South Island has shifted nearly 14 inches closer to the city of Wellington, which sits across the Cook Strait on the North Island
These measurements reveal that ew Zealand is still feeling the effects of the 2016 quake, which killedtwo people when it struck. '
How much of movement might have happened or can happen due to those fairly shallow faults and how much could be traced back to deeper subduction-zone faults far deeper in the crust?
In general, the country sits right on the edge of a subduction zone, where the Pacific plate grinds under the Indian-Australian plate. a.
In general, the country sits right on the edge of a subduction zone, where the Pacific plate grinds under the Indian-Australian plate. The border of this subduction zone runs along the east coast of the North Island. a.
It's too early to fully understand what that movement means for future earthquakes. But researchers have observed a movement as far as 600 kilometers from the quake's epicentre.