Connect with earthquake experts about the Alpine Fault

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Experts and web conferences

Meet Caroline: Hazards Scientist

Meet Alice: Hazards Communicator

Web conferences

The following questions from schools are answered by Caroline and Alice in web conference 1:

1. When the Earth had Pangaea as one land mass, what was the rest of the Earth 'held together' with? (we're thinking about the fact that if all the plates started there, what was the rest of the Earth made up of? If it was plates too, did they merge or meld together?
2. What makes a continent a continent?
3. Have there been any eruptions along the Alpine Fault and do you believe there could be?
4. How do you measure the highest point along the fault?
5. Can tectonic plates meld / join together?
6. What is the biggest magnitude earthquake caused by movement along the Alpine Fault?
7. How is the age of the Earth measured?
8. What is the educational pathway and skills required to become a geologist?
9. Is there such a thing as an extinct volcano?
10. What is the oldest active volcano in New Zealand?

The following questions from schools are answered by Caroline in web conference 2:

1. We have watched animations of P waves and S waves and I was wondering what is the formula you use to measure the distance of an earthquake epicentre from a specific point?
2. With Scientists, Geologists and Seismologists: how do their jobs differ and how do they work together on earthquakes in New Zealand?
3. I have been to Franz Josef and I was wondering what would happen to the glacier when a large earthquake comes?
4. What depth have the earthquakes on the Alpine fault been and how have they affected the landscape at Franz Josef in the past?
5. Does the depth of the P and S waves and/or the depth of an earthquake affect the time it takes the shaking to reach a certain point? Please explain.
6. When you drill into the fault line, how far down do you go; what type of rocks are you looking for and what information do they give you?
7. As the tectonic plates rub together will they eventually break apart and wear down so that in the distant future we may not have earthquakes because all the stress has gone?
8. Can the stress on the tectonic plates just wear off without them actually creating an earthquake? Do other earthquakes in the area reduce the stress on the Alpine fault?
9. How do you calculate accurately what the uplift of the Southern Alps is each year?
10. I have climbed up to Mueller Hut and up Mount Ollivia. How do the rocks around Franz Josef compare with the rocks I was climbing on?
11. In the future could we get a Magnitude 9 earthquake? How do you know the magnitude of the Alpine Fault earthquakes before Europeans came to New Zealand?

The following questions from schools are answered by Alice in web conference 3:

1. What are the differences between a normal earthquake and an Alpine Fault earthquake?
2. Will a tsunami happen if the Alpine Fault ruptures? If so, will it be different to other tsunamis? How and why?
3. How do we prepare for a one in every 300 year event?
4. Tsunamis, floods and the White Island eruption are all natural disasters. How is preparing for an Alpine Fault earthquake different to preparing for these disasters?
5. Where would be a safe place during an Alpine Fault earthquake and how can we best be prepared for one?
6. What is the anticipated radius of damage from an AF8 rupture?
7. Would a rupture of the Alpine Fault affect the weather? Would it cause other earthquakes?
8. What do you wish New Zealanders would do to be prepared?