Earthquake Hazards

Earthquakes are among New Zealand’s most deadly natural hazards and are responsible for the biggest single-event financial losses in recent history, with wide-ranging impacts that repeatedly set back economic growth and prosperity.  Each major earthquake produces unique combinations of consequences to society and the built environment from ground shaking, uplift/subsidence, surface rupture, aftershocks, liquefaction, landslides, flooding, tsunami and broader environmental and ecosystem changes. 

We develop integrated cutting-edge, end-to-end science that enhances preparedness, reduces risk, forecasts future hazard, and enables effective response and recovery. 

Our science goals include:

• Advancing understanding of New Zealand’s unique tectonic and site characteristics (e.g. multi-fault ruptures, local ground motion effects, fault displacement hazard).
• Developing multi-hazard impact models that capture the complex interactions between earthquakes, downstream hazards and risk to society and the built environment.
• Delivering rapid science advice and impact assessments for major earthquakes (and tsunami) across New Zealand and the Pacific, based on advanced expertise, tools, monitoring systems, and emerging technologies.
• Forecasting the long-term and short-term likelihood of future earthquakes and damaging ground shaking.