Date/Time
Date(s) - Tue 17 August
12:00 - 13:00
Location
AM105, Alan MacDiarmid Building, VUW
Prof Laura Wallace
GNS Science
Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas
The discovery of slow-motion earthquakes, or slow slip events (SSEs), at subduc tion zones in the last two decades has transformed our understanding of fault mechanics and earthquake occurrence. The Hikurangi subduction zone offshore New Zealand’s North Island has become a focal point for investigation of this phenomena, as the shallow occurrence of SSEs ($<$2-15 km beneath the Earth’s surface) uniquely enables near-field investigations of these processes, including detailed seismic imaging, and sampling of fault material with scientific ocean drilling. I will discuss a range of investigations being undertaken to better char acterize the SSEs and related seismicity, as well as recent results from scientific drilling and seismic imaging to reveal the environment and rock types that host SSEs. I will also discuss results of recent efforts to use seafloor geodesy to resolve processes on the offshore Hikurangi subduction zone by measuring centimetre level movement of the seafloor, and the insights that this has given us into the seismic and tsunami hazard posed to New Zealand by the subduction zone.