1987 Edgecumbe earthquake

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Just after 1.42 p.m. on 2 March 1987, an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale hit New Zealand's Bay of Plenty, centered on Edgecumbe. Because the earthquake was very shallow, at about 8 km from the earth's surface, it was felt over a large area. The earthquake was the most damaging New Zealand has experienced in recent decades, with approximately 50% of the houses in Edgecumbe being damaged by the quake. Whakatane and Kawerau were among other towns worst hit.

Luckily, only one person died at the time, as a result of a heart attack. A foreshock just minutes before had cut the power supply and many people had moved away from heavy machinery and out of their houses.

A crack seven km long opened in the Rangitaiki Plains near Edgecumbe as a result of the earthquake. It is now known as the Edgecumbe Fault. At one point the land close to the fault dropped 2 m.

The largest aftershock was measured at 5.5 and struck at 1.52 p.m.

The epicenter of the quake was approximately 10 km south-south-east of the town of Matata, or 15 km north-north-west of Edgecumbe[1]. The intense ground shaking caused by the earthquake led to a large number of ground surface failures including sand boils, ridge-top shatters, and debris avalanches on steeper slopes.[2]

  1. ^ New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Staff (1987). The March 2, 1987, Earthquake Near Edgecumbe, North Island, New Zealand. Eos 68: 1162-1171.
  2. ^ Franks, C.A.M. (1988). Engineering geological aspects of the Edgecumbe, New Zealand earthquake of 2 March 1987. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology 21.
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