A decade of scientific innovation

Opinion: We did not know on September 4, 2010 that the 7.1 Darfield earthquake was the announcement of a decade of the most devastating seismic activity New Zealand has seen for more than 75 years.

The September event was followed by the devastating 6.3 earthquake in Christchurch on February 22, 2011, as well as other tremors exceeding magnitude 6 in the Cook Strait, Lake Grasmere, Ikitahuna, Eastern Cape, and the 7.8 Kaikoura earthquake in 2016.

New Zealanders have also seen many smaller earthquakes over the course of the decade, and even Auckland residents have felt the ground shaking in the past week.

What we’ve also seen during this time is New Zealand scientists and engineers respond to these earthquakes through innovations in technologies and scientific advances, driven by a vision to reduce harm to people and societies and, where possible, reduce risks in the future.

A brief overview commissioned by the EQC was published on September 4, looking at the most prominent new knowledge we have collectively acquired during this decade.

It shows that we have come a long way in understanding the land we live on.

GeoNet, which provides data on earthquakes, volcanic activity, large landslides and tsunamis, is becoming more intense, providing streams of data critical to New Zealand’s natural hazards science. We all now have access to what’s happening through the GeoNet website and mobile app that provides near-real-time information about when, where, and how strong an earthquake or any other event.

We’ve seen significant progress in how we can use this data to create computer models of what might happen in the future. This was extremely important after the Kaikoura earthquake, when people living in the area, and crews operating on or near any of the 11,000 landslides, needed the best information they could get about the likelihood of aftershocks.

This was also the decade in which mapping, research, and intense collaboration between scientists showed that our biggest mistakes, the Alpine Rift and the subduction zone of Hikurangi – ripe for release. The big question remains, of course, when this will happen.

Throughout the decade, New Zealand scientists and engineers have worked hard to provide solutions to some of the biggest problems.

Fluidization in Christchurch was unprecedented in an urban center. It was astonishing how quickly a huge team of scientists and engineers could compile, develop and test affordable ways to harden liquefaction-prone land so that it could be built on again, but in a flexible way for the future.

Mark Greenhill / Staff

Liquefaction in Avonside after earthquake on December 23, 2011

In addition to new technologies, the work has led to organizational guidance and training courses for urban planners and engineers working in areas where the land is prone to liquefaction.

A very important area of ​​research and progress is engineering standards and building practices. Although most buildings performed well in various earthquakes, some of them did not, and this had severe consequences.

Besides a detailed understanding of why some buildings fail, over the past decade new technologies have been incorporated to reduce damage in new and old buildings. Base insulation and other techniques are adopted to mitigate the effects of strong vibration, along with methods used to reinforce unreinforced masonry buildings. These include seismic gaps to allow movement, plywood veneers, concrete rings, and glass-reinforced polymer to reinforce brickwork.

We now have new guidelines to improve safety in non-structural elements in buildings, such as suspended ceilings, pipes, and electrical equipment, which have caused a lot of damage in large buildings.

Many homeowners also participated in the procedure, removing brick chimneys, making sure their homes were well insured on good foundations.

I am very proud that EQC has been an active supporter of many of these projects. Over the past 10 years, we have invested more than $ 130 million in GeoNet funding and natural hazard science and engineering research projects.

The mission of EQC is to reduce the impact on people and property of natural disasters. Supporting scientific evidence to help decision-makers in homes, communities, towns and cities reduce risk and build resilience is a big part of how we do this.

As I will tell anyone I meet, there is a lot we can do before an earthquake or other hazard strikes to reduce the chance of a dangerous impact on people and property – and we look forward to continuing to play a role in making this happen.

Reflections on the New Zealand Seismic Decade: New knowledge of a resilient future is now available at eqc.govt.nz.

Dr Joe Horrocks is the Senior Resilience and Research Officer at the Earthquakes Commission

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