Giant Earthquakes Likely to Occur in New Zealand

Massive earthquakes are most likely to strike off the east coast of New Zealand. Researchers, led by an Australian professor from Melbourne, have published a study with a global map indicating where giant earthquakes might strike next.

Professor Wouter Schellart from Monash University said earthquakes usually happen at the ends of tectonic plates when they rub together. Giant earthquakes will more likely occur in subduction zones where one tectonic plate goes under another.

Mr Schellart reported that massive earthquakes are "most dangerous and destructive". The researchers' global map can help seismologists get an idea of the possible locations of giant earthquakes.

Engineers can also benefit from the research since the map will inform them which areas are prone to massive quakes. Homes and buildings should not be constructed in those locations.

Aside from New Zealand, researchers have identified Indonesia, Greece, Mexico, the Carribean, and Central America as the locations where giant earthquakes might hit.

Mr Schellart along with his colleague Professor Nick Rawlinson from the University of Aberdeen have been working on the study with their team since 2009.

Deadly quakes weaken Earth's crust

The deadly earthquakes that shook New Zealand in 2010 and 2011 may have caused a part of the Earth's crust to weaken. According to researchers, New Zealand is in the Ring of Fire - a narrow zone in the Pacific Ocean wherein 80 per cent of the biggest earthquakes in the world happen.

Most of the world's earthquakes or 90 per cent also strike along countries in the Ring of Fire. In 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake shook the South Island of New Zealand. The epicenter was close to the center of Christchurch, killing 185 people and totally destroyed or partially damaged 100,000 buildings. The earthquake of 2011 was the costliest one to hit New Zealand, which affected one-sixth of the country's GDP.

Scientists have discovered most of the earthquakes that struck New Zealand had caused abnormally high energy levels to be released. Experts believe that the high levels of energy are similar to those observed when strong faults rupture in the Earth's crust. Scientists analysed the seismic waves recorded by Geonet before and after the earthquakes in New Zealand. More than 11,500 aftershocks were recorded after the earthquake in 2010. Researchers have found that a wide region had grown weaker after the earthquakes.