Tsunami science

Summary

This research analyses the 2016 Kaikōura tsunami as a complex and significant event in New Zealand’s geological record. The paper provides a summary of the tectonic setting, historic and geological evidence for past tsunamis, and tsunami tide gauge and run-up field observations of the tsunami.

For the size of the tsunami, as inferred from the measured heights, the impact of this event was relatively modest. Potential reasons for this include: 1) the earthquake coincided with close to low tide, 2) the degree of co-seismic uplift, and 3) the nature of the coastal environment (steep topography) in the tsunami source region.

Emergency management relevance

This research contributes to our understanding of how tsunamis behave around Banks Peninsula, and their impacts.

Additional information

Authors: William Power, Kate Clark, Darren King, Jose Borrero, Jamie Howarth, Emily Lane, Derek Goring, James Goff, Catherine Chague-Goff, James Williams, Catherine Reid, Colin Whittaker, Christof Mueller, Shaun Williams, Matthew Hughes, Jo Hoyle, Jochen Bind, Delia Strong, Nicola Litchfield, Adrian Benson

Date: 2017

Funders: N/A

Format: Published - Pure and Applied Geophysics

Reference: Power, W., Clark, K., King, D. N., Borrero, J., Howarth, J., Lane, E. M., Goring, D., Goff, J., Chague-Goff, C., Williams, J., Reid, C., Whittaker, C., Mueller, C., Williams, S., Hughes, M. W., Hoyle, J., Bind, J., Strong, D., Litchfield, N., & Benson, A. (2017). Tsunami runup and tide-gauge observations from the 14 November 2016 M7.8 Kaikōura earthquake, New Zealand. Pure and Applied Geophysics, 174(7), 2457-2473. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-017-1566-2