West Coast Earthquake Information
Living along the Alpine fault, all West Coasters may one day experience a major earthquake. The information below provides information about the fault, it's likely earthquakes, and what may happen one day if the earthquake happens.
Click on your district at right for ShakeOut information about your part of the West Coast.
West Coast ShakeOut is based upon a hypothetical, but plausible magnitude 8.2 earthquake on the Alpine Fault, 10km North East of Whataroa at 10.10am Friday 18 September 2009. It will run alongside a training exercise ‘Ru Whenua’ aimed at testing the response systems of the West Coast Civil Defence teams.
The aim of ShakeOut is to get the whole population of the West Coast to participate in an earthquake drill at the same time and in the process of doing so, to learn more about the risk of a great earthquake and the reasons to prepare for it now.
The following information provides the basis for why it is important for all West Coasters to participate in the ShakeOut drill:
The science behind the risk: An excellent summary about the Alpine Fault and its role in shaping New Zealand.
The consequences of a large earthquake on the West Coast: What will happen when the Alpine Fault eventually ruptures in a major earthquake.
Te Ara Encylopedia of New Zealand is a good general on-line resource for natural hazard information. Links to Active Faults (which includes the Alpine Fault), Earthquakes, Historic Earthquakes (including experiences of those who have experienced large earthquakes), and Plate Boundary help gather a quick overview of the New Zealand situation.
GNS Science has lots of information about natural hazards in New Zealand from a scientific perspective and links to Geonet which is a scientific monitoring programme with public access.
West Coast Regional Council has information about West Coast specific natural hazards.
NZ Alpine Fault Blog gives an account of a teacher fellow’s journey in the preparation of the ShakeOut.
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