Bay Harbour: December 02, 2020

PAGE 16 Wednesday December 2 2020
BAY HARBOUR
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Alpine Fault rupture: What will it feel like?
• By Jamie Morton
THE NEXT major rupture of the
South Island’s Alpine Fault will
prove one of the largest – if not
the biggest – that earthquakes
Kiwis have ever experienced.
But what will it actually feel
like?
The geology of New Zealand
makes that an incredibly
complex question to answer
– but a new study evaluating
millions of different earthquake
scenarios will give us a much
better idea.
The Alpine Fault, which runs
about 600km up the western
side of the South Island between
Milford Sound and Marlborough,
poses one of the biggest
natural threats to New Zealand –
especially Canterbury, the West
Coast, and Otago.
It has a clear geologic record
of rupturing around every three
centuries – and 2017 marked
the 300th anniversary of what is
thought to have been a magnitude
8.0 earthquake that moved
one side of the fault by about 8m
in a matter of seconds.
Recent studies undertaken
as part of the joint AF8 project
have suggested a big quake could
block South Island highways
in more than 120 places, leave
10,000 people cut off, and cost
the economy about $10 billion.
BIG THREAT: The Alpine Fault, which runs about 600km up the western side of the South
Island, poses one of the biggest natural threats to New Zealand. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES ​
Now, a team of scientists led
by Professor John Townend
of Victoria University of
Wellington—Te Herenga Waka
and Dr Caroline Holden of GNS
Science aim to build a state-ofthe-art,
3D picture of the ground
shaking effects we could expect
from future large earthquakes on
the fault.
“When the Alpine Fault next
ruptures, it will produce seismic
waves that propagate out in
all directions,”
Townend said.
“The ground
shaking we feel
in different parts
of the country
during an earthquake
is controlled
by the size
of the earthquake
and aspects of
John
Townend
how the fault is slipping but also
by the geological structure the
seismic waves encounter as they
propagate over long distances
and by the local geology right
beneath our feet.
“What we’re interested in is,
how do variations in the likely
characteristics of the earthquake
affect ground shaking at different
locations in the country?”
Scientists say the intensity of
the shaking in the most affected
areas – particularly West Coast
spots – could be unlike anything
we’ve felt before.
The next Alpine Fault earthquake
would likely also be a
long-duration event – unzipping
the crust for as much as three
minutes – because of the sheer
length of the fault.
“By comparison, the Kaikōura
earthquake in 2016 ruptured a
total fault length of 200km in the
space of about two minutes,” said
Holden.
“Given what we know from
geological studies of the Alpine
Fault, we’re anticipating a major
magnitude 8.0-plus earthquake,
rupturing 500km of the crust,
so the shaking will be felt
throughout the South Island, but
the intensity and duration will
ultimately depend on what happens
on the fault.”
Townend said detailed
geological and geophysical studies
of the Alpine Fault over the past
decade – and the Canterbury
and Kaikōura quakes themselves
– had done much to fill in
knowledge gaps about potential
Alpine Fault scenarios.
“But we haven’t yet witnessed
a rupture of this fault ourselves,
so our understanding of what
ground motions it will produce
is based on hypotheses about
how much of the fault ruptures,
how fast, and to what depth . . .
and the elastic properties of the
Earth,” he said. •Turn to page 18
Edith Cavell Corner
New Edith Cavell Manager, Scott Wallace, enjoying a morning cuppa with resident, Denis Stanton.
New Manager for
Edith Cavell as
Refresh Takes Shape
These are exciting times for Edith Cavell as a refresh has begun to
brighten, lighten and modernise Sumner’s very own Care Home,
whilst retaining all the charm and features that we know and love.
Edith Cavell also welcomes a new face, as we bid a sad but fond farewell
to Moira when she handed over the reigns to new Manager, Scott.
Scott joins after a long and successful career in the hotel industry in
New Zealand and Australia.
Scott explains, “I got to the stage when I was looking for a change,
and as my parents became older I realised the real need for them to
have an enjoyable retirement with quality care available. This really
became front of mind and set me on a new pathway.”
Scott says there are a lot of similarities between running a hotel and
a Care Home, in terms of really putting the residents first. “Creating
an exceptional experience for the residents is first and foremost, so
managing the day to day aspects such as cleaning and cooking are
pretty similar,” says Scott
However, one key difference is the important task of overseeing quality
nursing care. Scott says, “We have a genuinely passionate and caring
team including our fantastic Clinical Services Manager, Maria Crone,
who is doing an outstanding job.”
Another very positive difference is the enjoyment Scott is finding from
forging personal relationships with residents and their families. “To
meet these wonderful people and hear their amazing stories is the
best job satisfaction anyone could wish for,” he says.
Scott believes the refurbishment will reaffirm Edith Cavell as a truly
valuable asset to the Sumner Community.
“You can already see the new, but true to character, colour scheme
from the street and we’ve already been receiving favourable
comments,” he says.
Scott is really looking forward to meeting more of Edith Cavell’s wider
family members at the Christmas BBQ on December 9th.
“I’ve been really blown away by the support and enthusiasm shown
from our local community, offering to come and sing and support us
as one of their very own,” says Scott.
Watch this space for more news and updates on Edith Cavell’s refurbishment.
For more information on the Edith Cavell refurbishment call (03) 326 6608 or visit
heritagelifecare.co.nz/EdithCavell