1929 Murchison earthquake

Earthquake in New Zealand March 2024 October 2024 1929 Murchison earthquake 1929-06-16 22:47:30 iscgem908150 908150 New Zealand 17 June 1929 17 June 1929 10:17 s y 7.8, w y 7.3 12 km X en-UK -41.55 172.25 inline,title region:NZM 7.8, Buller (Murchison) 17 June 1929 GeoNet http://info.geonet.org.nz/display/quake/M+7.8%2C+Buller+%28Murchison%29%2C+17+June+1929 28 June 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100604232228/http://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/historic-earthquakes/top-nz/quake-04.html 4 June 2010 live South Island, New Zealand 17 deaths, others injured The 1929 Murchison earthquake occurred at 10:17 am on 17 June. It struck the Murchison region of the South Island, with an estimated magnitude of 7.3, and was felt throughout New Zealand. There were 17 deaths, mostly as a result of landslides triggered by the earthquake. The rumbling sound of the earthquake was loud enough to be heard at New Plymouth, more than 250 km (155 mi) away.http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/historic-earthquakes/5 The 1929 Arthur's Pass and Murchison earthquakes McSaveney E. 2 March 2009 Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand 28 June 2010 Tectonic setting New Zealand sits astride the boundary between the Indo-Australian plate and the Pacific plate. In the South Island most of the displacement is taken up on the Alpine Fault passing to the north onto a set of strike-slip faults, the Marlborough fault system. The sense of displacement across the plate boundary is oblique and most of the faults have a reverse component of slip. Some of the resulting deformation is accommodated within the plates themselves away from the boundary.http://www.wcrc.govt.nz/Resources/Documents/NaturalHazardsResourceKit/4%20Earthquake%20Hazards.pdf Earthquake Hazards West Coast Regional Council 2002 28 June 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100525035616/http://www.wcrc.govt.nz/Resources/Documents/NaturalHazardsResourceKit/4%20Earthquake%20Hazards.pdf 25 May 2010 dead The 1929 Murchison earthquake occurred on the White Creek Fault, located in the Buller Gorge. Damage thumb|left|Wreckage of the tower of the main building at Nelson College following the earthquake thumb|250px|Major active fault zones of New Zealand showing variation in displacement vector of Pacific plate relative to Australian plate along the boundary Although the epicentre was in a sparsely populated area about 65 km (40 mi) north of Murchison, the shaking in the surrounding region was intense enough to cause damage over a wide area. The towns of Nelson, Greymouth and Westport were all affected and roads, buildings and bridges were severely damaged throughout an area estimated at 26,000 km2 (10,000 mi2). The worst damage was caused by landslides triggered by the shaking, which destroyed several homes and resulted in 14 of the 17 deaths. Two other deaths were caused by coal mine collapses. Most of the buildings in the Murchison area were built of wood and were warped and moved from their piles, but many brick buildings and chimneys were damaged in Nelson, Greymouth and Westport. Characteristics The earthquake was preceded by several foreshocks before the mainshock, accompanied by booming sounds in the mountains around Murchison. There was a large surface fault rupture visible in the Buller River, indicating about 4.5 m (14.8 ft) of vertical movement and 2.5 m (8.2 ft) of lateral movement. The earthquake triggered many landslides and these created 38 new lakes, of which 21 still exist, including Lake Stanley, on Stanley River. The Maruia Falls are also a notable by-product of the earthquake. The earthquake was accompanied by unusually loud rumbling noises that were heard as far away as New Plymouth. A maximum intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale has been estimated for Murchison. Most of the northern part of South Island suffered an intensity of VII (Very strong) or greater. Aftermath The landslides blocked many roads causing food supplies to run out in some areas near the epicentre. This and the risk of aftershocks and flooding from landslides blocking rivers caused many residents to evacuate the area, mostly on foot. Karamea was completely cut off and received no outside help for two weeks, until a de Havilland Tiger Moth plane landed on the beach. Some of the blocked roads took months to clear. Importance for studying the Earth's interior Analysing the seismic waves from this earthquake appearing in the shadow zone, Inge Lehmann demonstrated that there must be a solid inner core that reflected p-waves.15 September 2024 Five New Zealand Geoheritage Features Receive International Recognition https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK2409/S00236/five-new-zealand-geoheritage-features-receive-international-recognition.htm 16 April 2025 Geoscience Society of New Zealand Scoop See also List of earthquakes in 1929 List of earthquakes in New Zealand References External links Landslide blog about the earthquake by Professor Dave Petley, Durham University, UK 908150 Category:June 1929 in Oceania 1929 Murchison New Zealand - Murchison Murchison Category:History of the West Coast Region Category:History of the Tasman District Category:Landslides in Oceania Category:1920s landslides Category:1929 natural disasters Category:1929 disasters in New Zealand