Taupō Fault Belt
The Taupō Fault Belt contains many almost parallel faults and is located in the Taupō Rift of the central North Island of New Zealand between Lake Taupō and Lake Rotorua.
| Taupō Fault Belt | |
|---|---|
| Etymology | Taupō |
| Year defined | 1960 |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Waikato Region |
| Characteristics | |
| Range | Up to 6.5 Mw[1] |
| Segments | many |
| Length | 20 km (12 mi)[1] |
| Tectonics | |
| Plate | Indo-Australian |
| Status | Active |
| Type | Normal faults |
| Age | Miocene-Holocene |
| Volcanic arc/belt | Taupō Volcanic Zone |
| New Zealand Active Fault database | |
Geology
The Taupō Fault Belt is in the area also referred to as either the Paeroa Graben or the Kapenga Graben between the Horohoro Fault[2] and the Paeroa Fault.[3] Aligned with the orientation of the modern Taupō Rift are multiple north-north-east trending normal faults. These include the Ngakuru Fault to the east with the Ngakuru Graben between it and the Whirinaki Fault.[4] Within the 14 km (8.7 mi) wide Ngakuru Graben are also to the west the Maleme Fault (Zone), which as a zone also contains the Mangaete/Lakeside Fault and to the east the Hossack Road Fault and the Te Weta Fault.[4] The tectonic activity is driven by the ground subsiding at a rate of 3-4 mm/yr since 61,000 years ago with largely orthogonal rifting associated with subduction and the clockwise rotation of the northern North Island allowing the rift to open.[4]
| Fault/ Segment | Surface length | Estimated Risk Mw | Mean Slip rate (mm/year) | Reoccurance (year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| → Ngakuru (South West) | 9 | 6.0 | 0.5 | 950 |
| → Ngakuru (North East) | 18 | 6.5 | 0.5 | 2300 |
| Maleme | 17 | 6.6 | 3.5 | 300 |
| Mangatete - Lakeside | 7 | 5.9 | 0.1 | 4500 |
| Whirinaki | 19.8 | 6.6 | 0.1 (0.75)[4] | 10700 |
| → Whirinaki West | 10 | 6.1 | 0.2 | 2900 |
| → Whirinaki East | 12 | 6.2 | 0.2 (1.4)[4] | 5100 |
| Hossack Road | 4 | 5.5 | 0.1 | 1700 |
| Te Weta | 35[4] | 6.3 | 0.4 | 2100 |
| Paeroa[3] | 27 | 6.7 | 0.8 | 2300 |
| → Paeroa North[3] | 9 | 6.1 | 0.8 | 800 |
| → Paeroa Central[3] | 7 | 6.1 | 0.8 | 600 |
| → Paeroa South[3] | 10 | 6.2 | 0.8 | 900 |
| Ngapouri-Rotomahana | 16 | 6.4 | 0.17 | 4400 |
| Horohoro[2] | 20 | 6.5 | 0.17 | 7400 |
| Ongahoro | ≥13 | 6.3 | 1.7 | <3300 |
| Rotohouhou | 9.5 | 6.0 | 0.6 | 2900 |
References
- "Villamor, P.; Ries, W.; Zajac, A. Rotorua District Council Hazard Studies: Active fault hazards. GNS Science Consultancy Report" (PDF). 2010.
- Zachariasen, Judith; Van Dissen, Russ (2001). "Paleoseismicity of the northern Horohoro Fault, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics. 44 (3): 91–40. doi:10.1080/00288306.2001.9514946. S2CID 131520830.
- Berryman, Kelvin; Villamor, Pilar; Nairn, I.A.; Dissen, Russ; Begg, John; Lee, Julie (2008-06-01). "Late Pleistocene surface rupture history of the Paeroa Fault, Taupo Rift, New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics. 51 (2): 135–158. doi:10.1080/00288300809509855. S2CID 128400528.
- Loame, Remedy Charlotte (2016). Using a tephrostratigraphic framework to determine the past 40,000 yrs of fault rupture and paleohydrothermal activity on the east strand of the Whirinaki Fault, Ngakuru Graben, central Taupo Volcanic Zone (PDF) (Thesis).