1987 Edgecumbe earthquake

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Just after 1.42 pm. on 14 March 1987, an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale hit New Zealand's Bay of Plenty, centred on the town of Edgecumbe. Because the earthquake was very shallow, approximately 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 the other towns worst hit.

Only one indirect casualty occurred: 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. The largest aftershock was measured at 412.5 and struck at 1.52 pm.

A crack seven kilometres 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 epicentre of the quake was approximately 224 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]

[edit] References

  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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