WELLINGTON, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- A new research has revealed the first-ever 3D images of hidden structures in the Hikurangi Subduction Zone and how this New Zealand's largest fault moves.
The 3D images, by GNS Science, are for scientists to better diagnose and pinpoint areas that are more prone to generating large earthquakes, Stuart Henrys, project lead and principal scientist of GNS Science, said on Thursday.
These high-resolution images, which give never-seen-before views inside New Zealand's largest fault, show trapped water, undersea volcanoes, and underground structures hidden within the fault.
New Zealand's largest fault, the Hikurangi Subduction Zone, is where the Pacific tectonic plate dives west beneath the Australian plate and underneath the east coast of the North Island.
In some parts of the subduction zone, GPS instruments are showing the plates slowly move by a few millimeters a year, which is called a "slow slip" and occurs over periods of weeks or months. However, in other parts, the plates are stuck, locked together, and building up pressure, according to GNS Science.
By understanding the structural factors that create the smoother slipping and stuck zones, scientists are seeking to better diagnose what areas could generate potential future earthquakes and tsunamis, Henrys said.
The 3D data also provides new constraints on the physical conditions and rock properties to "inform simulations of earthquake ground shaking and tsunami inundation that greatly help improved hazard preparedness and response," he said. ■