Brace for more quakes, seismologists warn New Zealand
As a massive clean-up continues, scientists are still coming to grips with the ‘astonishing’ scale of the recent seismic seizure
Christchurch — Seismologists in New Zealand said on Friday that this week’s 7.8 earthquake was one of the most complex ever recorded and warned there was a high likelihood of further powerful aftershocks. As a massive clean-up continued following the tremor that claimed two lives early on Monday, scientists were coming to grips with the "astonishing" scale of the seismic seizure. The official GeoNet science agency said the land moved up to 11m along the many faultlines in the South Island disaster zone, permanently changing the region’s geography. The quake also pushed up the seabed by as much as 2m along a 110km stretch of coastline that includes the tourist town of Kaikoura. GeoNet said the quake ruptured at least four faults and was "clearly ... one of the most complex earthquakes that has ever been observed". New Zealand is on the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, which form part of the so-called "Ring of Fire", and experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year.<...
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