New Zealand Community Fault Model
Database
The New Zealand Community Fault Model (NZ CFM) is a community-driven project led by GNS Science that pools the collective knowledge of the earth science community to develop a fault model for New Zealand which is open, updatable and publicly available.
Overview
The NZ CFM v1.0 is a two- and three-dimensional representation of active and potentially active fault zones along the New Zealand plate boundary. Each fault zone in the model is associated with available kinematic information such as sense of slip, slip rake angle and slip rate, along with geometric parameters such as dip angle and depth of the fault plane.
Geologists and geophysicists from several organisations collaborated to define the model, including uncertainties and limitations, to ensure it is fit-for-purpose for multiple applications. The New Zealand Community Fault Model and the associated data are of value to a range of kinematic, active fault and seismic hazard studies.
Onshore, the NZ CFM v1.0 has been generalised from the New Zealand Active Faults Database(external link) to provide a regional-scale summary and is therefore not intended for use in a site-specific context.
You can learn more on the New Zealand Community Fault Model webpage.
The NZ CFM v1.0 can now be viewed interactively in any desktop browser or smartphone (without installing additional software) through the Geo3D web viewer(external link) developed at the Polish Geological Institute(external link).
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Explore 3D model
Explore the 3D fault zone model here(external link)
The model may take a moment to load for the first time, but once opened, it allows you to:
- Navigate New Zealand’s network of fault zones in three-dimensions
- View generalized locations of fault zones on the map, with OpenStreetMap overlays for reference
- Access kinematic and geometric parameters for each structure with a simple click
- Colour faults by attributes to reveal variations and help identify structures of interest
This new viewer makes the NZ CFM v1.0 more accessible, providing an intuitive way to explore the complexity and significance of New Zealand’s active fault zones. The NZ CFM v1.0 is now part of a growing collection of nearly 150 online three-dimensional geological models from around the world, linked through the Geo3D Global Library(external link)
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Terms of Use
(C) Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited.
This material is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) Licence. For more details visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Where the data are used in a figure GNS Science requests attribution in the following manner: (C) GNS Science. Where reference to the data is to be included in a Reference List, the citation that follows is suggested.
Cite as: Seebeck H, Van Dissen R, Litchfield N, Barnes P, Nicol A, Langridge R, Barrell DJA, Villamor P, Ellis S, Rattenbury M, Bannister S, Gerstenberger M, Ghisetti F, Sutherland R, Fraser J, Nodder S, Stirling M, Humphrey J, Bland K, Howell A, Mountjoy J, Moon V, Stahl T, Spinardi F, Townsend D, Clark K, Hamling I, Cox S, de Lange W, Wopereis P, Johnston M, Morgenstern R, Coffey G, Eccles JD, Little T, Fry B, Griffin J, Townend J, Mortimer N, Alcaraz S, Massiot C, Rowland J, Muirhead J, Upton P, Hirschberg H, Lee J, 2022, New Zealand Community Fault Model – version 1.0. Lower Hutt (NZ): GNS Science. 96 p. (GNS Science report; 2021/57).
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Locations
- Whakatū / Nelson
- Rangitāhua / Kermadec Islands
- Rēkohu / Chatham Islands
- Rakiura / Stewart Island
- Murihiku / Southland
- Ōtepoti / Dunedin
- Ōtākou / Otago
- Ōtautahi / Christchurch
- Waitaha / Canterbury
- Kaikōura
- Te Tai Poutini / West Coast
- Te Tauihu-o-te-waka/ Marlborough
- Aotearoa / New Zealand
- Te Tai-o-Aorere / Tasman
- Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara / Wellington
- Manawatū-Whanganui
- Central Plateau
- Taranaki
- Te Matau-a-Māui / Hawke's Bay
- Te Tai Rāwhiti / Gisborne
- Te Moana-a-Toi / Bay of Plenty
- Waikato
- Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland
- Te Tai Tokerau / Northland