2003 Fiordland earthquake

The 2003 Fiordland earthquake struck the remote region of Fiordland in the South Island of New Zealand on 22 August 2003 at 0.12 am. The epicentre was 12 km deep, and was thought to be near Secretary Island at the entrance to Doubtful Sound. This was the same location as an earthquake of 6.7 Ms magnitude on 10 August 1993.[1]

2003 Fiordland earthquake
UTC time2003-08-21 12:12:49
ISC event7066570
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local date22 August 2003 (2003-08-22)
Local time12:12 AM
Magnitude7.1 Mw
Depth12 km
Epicenter45.2°S 166.7°E / -45.2; 166.7
Areas affectedNew Zealand, South Island
CasualtiesNone

At 7.2 Ms magnitude it was one of the largest quakes in the country for some time, and was the largest shallow quake since the 1968 Inangahua earthquake. There was an aftershock two hours later at 2.12 am, followed over several days by frequent small tremors; up to 21 September there were 6365 aftershocks.

Fiordland is one of the seismically active parts of the country according to GNS seismologist Dr Warwick Smith, as they are a relief mechanism for stresses as the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates are being forced together in the area, with the Pacific Plate subducting under the Australian Plate.[2][3]

In August 2004 there was another large earthquake of magnitude 7.1 MW in Fiordland. [4]

Damage

At Te Anau some 70 km to the south-east residents felt the quake strongly and items fell off shelves in shops and homes. Some of the pupils at Te Anau Primary School felt "weird" or "scared".

A team of geologists led by Ian Turnbull went to investigate and reported "landsliding on a large scale". They recorded at least 200 landslides after overflying seventy percent of central and western Fiordland.[2]

See also

References
  1. Hicks & Campbell 1998, p. 70.
  2. Rogers 2013, p. 181,182.
  3. Wright 2014, p. 24.
  4. Wright 2014, p. 172.

Further reading
  • Rogers, Anna (2013) [1996]. The Shaky Isles: New Zealand Earthquakes (2 ed.). Wellington: Grantham House. pp. 181, 182. ISBN 978-1-86934-119-0.
  • Wright, Matthew (2014). Living on shaky ground: The science and story behind New Zealand's earthquakes. Auckland: Random House (New Zealand). p. 172. ISBN 978-1-77553-688-8.
  • Hicks, Geoff; Campbell, Hamish (1998). Awesome Forces: The Natural Hazards that threaten New Zealand. Wellington: Te Papa Press. ISBN 978-0-909010-58-4.
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