An active fault is a fault that is likely to become the source of another earthquake sometime in the future. Geologists commonly consider faults to be active if there has been movement observed or evidence of seismic activity during the last 10,000 years.
17-631: The Hope Fault is an active dextral (right lateral) strike-slip fault in the northeastern part of South Island , New Zealand . It forms part of the Marlborough fault system , which accommodates the transfer of displacement along the oblique convergent boundary between the Indo-Australian plate and Pacific plate , from the transform Alpine Fault to the Hikurangi Trough subduction zone . The Hope Fault branches off from
34-528: A basin to form. The hot springs of Hanmer Springs are one of the results of the basin formation. Other smaller basins of similar type have formed at minor offsets along the Hope River segment. The basin began to form in the Pleistocene and contains more than 1000 m of sedimentary fill in the main depocenter . The eastern end of the basin is currently being deformed by transpression associated with
51-577: Is 310–490 yr. The Hope River segment runs about 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the confluence of the Boyle and Hope rivers as far as the Hanmer Basin. From the offset of dated river terraces, a late Holocene horizontal slip-rate of about 10 millimetres (0.39 in)/yr and a vertical slip-rate of about 0.6 mm/yr have been calculated for this segment. The displacement is thought to have occurred by repeated slips which, if similar to that which caused
68-563: Is employed with other factors to determine the potential earthquake hazard. The geologic conditions and plate tectonic setting in much of the Western U.S. has resulted in the region being underlain by relatively thin crust and having high heat flow, both of which can favor relatively high deformation rates and active faulting. In contrast, in the Central and Eastern U.S. (CEUS) the crust is thicker, colder, older, and more stable. Furthermore,
85-756: The Hope River , which follows the trace of much of the Hope River segment. The junction between the Hope fault and the Alpine Fault is complex. The Kelly Fault forms a major splay of the Hope Fault from just west of Harper Pass; it splays again to the west into the Newton and Hura faults. From repeat GPS surveying on the region near Arthur's Pass , the Kelly Fault marks a sharp reduction in velocities to
102-502: The 1888 earthquake, indicate a return period of about 140 years. The Conway segment is the longest and straightest of the segments with a strike of about N73°E. It extends 70 kilometres (43 mi) from the eastern part of the Hanmer Basin to just west of the junction with the Jordan Thrust near Kowhai River. The slip-rate for this segment, estimated from offset alluvial features, is about 23 mm/yr. The fault dips steeply to
119-457: The Alpine Fault south of Hokitika and then runs in a nearly straight line for about 230 kilometres (140 mi) to the east coast of South Island just north of Kaikōura , with an offshore continuation of at least 13 kilometres (8.1 mi). It consists of several segments, from the southwest end, the Kelly Fault, then the Hurunui, Hope River, Conway and Seaward segments. It takes its name from
136-593: The CEUS is thousands of miles from active plate boundaries, so the rates of deformation are low in this region. Nevertheless, the CEUS has had some rather large earthquakes in historical times, including a series of major earthquakes near New Madrid, Missouri in 1811–1812 , a large earthquake near Charleston, South Carolina in 1886, and the Cape Ann earthquake northeast of Boston in 1755. 2016 Kaik%C5%8Dura earthquake Too Many Requests If you report this error to
153-450: The area of any given plate. The fact that intraplate regions may also present seismic hazards has only recently been recognized. Various geologic methods are used to define the boundaries of an active fault such as remote sensing and magnetic measurements, as well as other ways. Several types of data, such as seismologic reports or records over time, are used to gauge fault activity. Activity and fault area are correlated, and risk analysis
170-432: The continental shelf from seismic reflection data, extending for at least another 13 kilometres (8.1 mi). Part of this segment ruptured in the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake . Hanmer Basin is a small (10 x 20 km) pull-apart basin formed at the overlap between the Hope River and Conway segments of the Hope Fault. The right-stepping geometry of the offset between the two segments has caused local extension to occur and
187-568: The development of the Hope Fault to that period. The most recent earthquake on the Hope Fault was the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake , which ruptured part of the Seaward segment. The previous earthquake was the 1888 North Canterbury earthquake , which ruptured the whole of the Hope River segment. Alexander McKay, a geologist working for the New Zealand geological survey, observed horizontal offsets in farm fences of between 1.5 and 2.6 metres along
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#1732773019058204-491: The fault. He was the first to associate a strike-slip displacement with an earthquake. The longest segment, the Conway segment, shows evidence of past earthquakes, although none have been recorded since European settlement in about 1850. Investigations show that at least three events have occurred, the most recent of which is dated to between 1720 and 1840. All segments of the Hope Fault are likely to experience future earthquakes,
221-498: The largest such events, a possible magnitude 7.5, would be expected from the Conway segment or the Jordan Thrust. Active fault Active faulting is considered to be a geologic hazard – one related to earthquakes as a cause. Effects of movement on an active fault include strong ground motion , surface faulting, tectonic deformation , landslides and rockfalls , liquefaction , tsunamis , and seiches . Quaternary faults are those active faults that have been recognized at
238-528: The northwest at about 70° and forms the southern termination of the Seaward Kaikōura, Hawk and Amuri ranges. This topography is a result of the significant component of reverse displacement on this fault zone. An average recurrence interval of 180–310 yr has been calculated for earthquakes along this segment. The Seaward segment extends from near the Kowhai River to the coast and has been recognised on
255-552: The northwest of the Kelly and Hura faults. This 42 kilometres (26 mi) long segment runs from Harper pass to the junction of the Hope and Boyle rivers. The maximum slip-rate estimated from the offset of a stream is about 13 millimetres (0.51 in)/yr. A minimum slip-rate has also been estimated from offset of channels in a late Holocene alluvial fan complex of 8.1 to 11.0 millimetres (0.32 to 0.43 in)/yr. The average recurrence interval for earthquake slip events on this segment
272-432: The southwestern end of the Conway segment. The destruction of the basin at its eastern end is matched by transtensional deformation at the western end that continues to enlarge the basin, giving rise to a roughly steady-state geometry. The basin fill is being constantly reworked as it is uplifted at the basin's eastern end and redeposited to the west. The oldest fill in the Hanmer Basin is Pleistocene in age, which constrains
289-530: The surface and which have evidence of movement during the Quaternary Period. Related geological disciplines for active-fault studies include geomorphology , seismology , reflection seismology , plate tectonics , geodetics and remote sensing , risk analysis , and others. Active faults tend to occur in the vicinity of tectonic plate boundaries, and active fault research has focused on these regions. Active faults tend to occur less within
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