Greendale Fault

Greendale Fault
The Greendale Fault photographed looking north, about 12 hours after the Darfield earthquake. The hedgerow and tractor tire tracks in the paddocks have been horizontally offset by about 3.5 meters
Country	New Zealand
Region	Canterbury Plains
Characteristics
Length	29.5 km (18.3 mi)
Displacement	2 mm (0.079 in)/yr[1]
Tectonics
Plate	Pacific
Status	Active
Earthquakes	2010 Canterbury earthquake
Type	Strike-slip fault
New Zealand Active Fault database

The Greendale Fault is an active seismic fault situated in the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand's South Island. The fault was previously unknown to geologists until 4 September 2010, as physical traces of the fault had been buried by gravel (alluvial deposits) during the last glaciation period.[2]

Canterbury earthquake

Main article: 2010 Canterbury earthquake

A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake,[3][4] occurred on the Greendale Fault at 4:35 am on 4 September 2010 local time (16:35 3 September UTC).[3] The quake caused widespread damage and several power outages, particularly in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand's second largest city.[5][6]

References

1. Villamor, P.; Litchfield, N.; Barrell, D.; Van Dissen, R.; Hornblow, S.; Quigley, M.; Levick, S.; Ries, W.; Duffy, B.; Begg, J.; Townsend, D.; Stahl, T.; Bilderback, E.; Noble, D.; Furlong, K.; Grant, H. (2 August 2012). "Map of the 2010 Greendale Fault surface rupture, Canterbury, New Zealand: application to land use planning". New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics. 55 (3): 223–230. doi:10.1080/00288306.2012.680473. S2CID 129857936.
2. "Ten year anniversary of Darfield earthquake". GeoNet. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
3. "New Zealand earthquake report – Sep 4, 2010 at 4:35 am (NZST)". GeoNet and GNS Science. 4 September 2010. Archived from the original on 5 September 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
4. "Magnitude 7.0 – South Island of New Zealand: Details". United States Geological Survey. 3 September 2010. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
5. "Massive 7.4 quake hits South Island". New Zealand: Stuff. 3 September 2010. Archived from the original on 7 September 2010. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
6. "Strong earthquake rocks New Zealand's South Island". BBC News. 3 September 2010. Retrieved 3 September 2010.