Hikurangi subduction zone part of a huge 3500km-long systemSTUFF Since the November 2016 earthquake, a lot of research has focused on slow slip events. READ MORE:* Chat recap: Talking to scientists about the Hikurangi subduction zone* When Hikurangi subduction zone megathrust triggers a tsunami* Kaikōura shows how large quakes trigger slow-slip events at a distanceFIRST UP, WHAT EXACTLY ARE SUBDUCTION ZONES? "Subduction earthquakes are well-documented every 90 - 200 years at the Nankai Trough subduction zone in southwest Japan. "The Hikurangi subduction zone beneath the North Island and northern South Island is actually the southern segment of the larger Tonga-Kermadec-Hikurangi subduction zone, Wallace says. New Zealand's National Seismic Hazard Model - the basis for many decisions about building codes and land-use planning - already takes Hikurangi subduction zone earthquakes into account.

Source: Stuff December 03, 2017 21:43 UTC