
© File Photo / New Zealand Herald
Faultlines capable of causing earthquakes with magnitudes of up to 7.8, with the potential to trigger massive tsunamis, have been found off the northern West Coast.
However, the West Coast Regional Council today moved to reassure the public, saying the Alpine Fault was a far more imminent threat.
The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) led the two-year mapping project for the council, which wanted to assess the tsunami risk for coastal communities.
Niwa marine geologist Philip Barnes said while the faults were relatively large and capable of causing fairly severe earthquakes, it was thought they had extremely long recurrence intervals, meaning that large earthquakes would be very infrequent.