Science Blog Post – Earthquake

Hackett, Jennifer. “New Zealand’s Alpine Fault Just Keeps Slipping.” Scientific American. N.p., 11 May 2016. Web. 19 Jan. 2017.

Science, GNS. “Alpine Fault.” Alpine Fault / Major Faults in New Zealand / Earthquakes / Science Topics / Learning / Home – GNS Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2017.

Picture Reference: Walters, Laura, Gns Science, Stuff.co.nz, and Gregory De Pascale. “Rainwater plays part in weakening New Zealand’s major Alpine Fault.” Stuff. N.p., 28 Apr. 2016. Web. 19 Jan. 2017.

Here is an image of the Alpine fault in New Zealand. It pertains to the PowerPoint because it is a transform boundary. A transform boundary is when two plates are sliding past one another. The result of the friction between two of these plates is massive amounts of built up energy. When this energy is released, it is sudden and in the form of an earthquake.

Transform boundaries lack surface features like convergent and divergent boundaries do, but their sliding motion is capable of causing massive earthquakes (such as the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 caused by the San Andreas transform fault). This particular fault has ruptured four times in the past 900 years. An earthquake with a magnitude of about 8 has been produced every single time. The official dates are not known, for they happened long ago, but estimated dates are 1717AD, 1620 AD, 1450 AD, and the most recent being 1100 AD. According to GNS Science, the Alpine fault has a high chance (approximately 30%) of rupturing in the next 50 years.