Seismic science and site influences – overview
This topic looks at Aotearoa New Zealand’s earthquake hazards and the effects seismic activity can have on the built environment.
Damage to a house in Redcliffs, Christchurch. (BRANZ)
Seismicity in New Zealand – including plate boundaries
Types of fault – including strike-slip faults, dip-slip faults, oblique-slip faults and aftershocks
Measuring earthquakes – including magnitude and intensity (objective intensity and subjective intensity)
Body waves – including P-waves, S-waves and wave propagation
Surface waves – including Rayleigh waves and Love waves
Ground shaking – including structural stress and landslides and rock falls
Ground settlement – including uniform settlement and differential settlement
Lateral ground displacement – including lateral spread and block sliding
Ground performance – including topography and site characteristics