1987 Edgecumbe earthquake
Encyclopedia
The Edgecumbe earthquake of 1987 was an earthquake
measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale that struck the Bay of Plenty
region of New Zealand
on 2 March 1987 just after 1.42 pm, centred on the town of Edgecumbe. The earthquake was very shallow, being centred approximately 8 km from the Earth's surface. The earthquake was one of the most damaging New Zealand's North Island has experienced in recent decades, with approximately 50% of the houses in Edgecumbe being damaged by the quake. There was extensive damage to a local milk factory, with large storage tanks toppled. Kawerau was another nearby town that suffered damage and Whakatane
was also badly shaken. An 80-tonne New Zealand Railways DC
class locomotive was thrown onto its side.
The earthquake caused no fatalities; one person died at the time as a result of a heart attack
, possibly due to the quake. A foreshock
just minutes before had cut the power supply and many people had moved away from heavy machinery and out of their houses. The largest aftershock
was measured at 5.2 and struck at 1.52 pm.
A crack 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) long opened in the Rangitaiki Plains near Edgecumbe as a result of the earthquake. It is now known as the 'Edgecumbe Fault'. At one point, the land close to the fault dropped 2 metres (6.6 ft).
The epicentre of the quake was approximately 2.24 kilometres (1.4 mi) south-south-east of the town of Matata
, or 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north-north-west of Edgecumbe. The intense ground shaking caused by the earthquake led to a large number of ground surface failures, including sand boils, ridge-top shatters and debris avalanches on steeper slopes.
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale that struck the Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...
region of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
on 2 March 1987 just after 1.42 pm, centred on the town of Edgecumbe. The earthquake was very shallow, being centred approximately 8 km from the Earth's surface. The earthquake was one of the most damaging New Zealand's North Island has experienced in recent decades, with approximately 50% of the houses in Edgecumbe being damaged by the quake. There was extensive damage to a local milk factory, with large storage tanks toppled. Kawerau was another nearby town that suffered damage and Whakatane
Whakatane
Whakatane is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty Region, in the North Island of New Zealand, and is the seat of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Whakatane is 90 km east of Tauranga and 89 km north-east of Rotorua, at the mouth of the Whakatane River.The town has a population of , with...
was also badly shaken. An 80-tonne New Zealand Railways DC
NZR DC class
The NZR DC class locomotive is the most common class of locomotive currently in operation on the New Zealand rail network. Primarily employed to haul freight trains operated by KiwiRail, the class is also used for long-distance passenger trains operated by Tranz Scenic and suburban passenger trains...
class locomotive was thrown onto its side.
The earthquake caused no fatalities; one person died at the time as a result of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
, possibly due to the quake. A foreshock
Foreshock
A foreshock is an earthquake that occurs before a larger seismic event and is related to it in both time and space. The designation of an earthquake as foreshock, mainshock or aftershock is only possible after the event....
just minutes before had cut the power supply and many people had moved away from heavy machinery and out of their houses. The largest aftershock
Aftershock
An aftershock is a smaller earthquake that occurs after a previous large earthquake, in the same area of the main shock. If an aftershock is larger than the main shock, the aftershock is redesignated as the main shock and the original main shock is redesignated as a foreshock...
was measured at 5.2 and struck at 1.52 pm.
A crack 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) long opened in the Rangitaiki Plains near Edgecumbe as a result of the earthquake. It is now known as the 'Edgecumbe Fault'. At one point, the land close to the fault dropped 2 metres (6.6 ft).
The epicentre of the quake was approximately 2.24 kilometres (1.4 mi) south-south-east of the town of Matata
Matata, New Zealand
Matata is a town located in the North Island of New Zealand. The town is 24 kilometres to the north-west of Whakatane. The population of Matata in the 2001 Census was 666....
, or 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north-north-west of Edgecumbe. The intense ground shaking caused by the earthquake led to a large number of ground surface failures, including sand boils, ridge-top shatters and debris avalanches on steeper slopes.