29 December 2016 – This earthquake beneath the northern part of New Zealand’s South Island, in the transition from continental strike-slip faulting in the south to subduction in the north, was one of the largest earthquakes to strike New Zealand in historic times.
The earthquake caused extensive surface deformation as it ruptured a complex series of faults with up to 13 m of predominantly horizontal displacement, resulting in unprecedented opportunities to study the surface expression of a major fault rupture. Fault displacement and strong ground motions resulted in coastal uplift, a small tsunami, and tens of thousands of landslides. The complex spatial distribution of surface ruptures and displacements, the long duration of the earthquake, and the subsequent slow slip episode in the Hikurangi subduction zone raise questions about controls on coseismic and post-seismic strain accommodation in large earthquakes, and how slip is transferred between tectonic regimes.
We solicit papers on all aspects of the earthquake, including but not limited to the geological/geophysical context in which the earthquake occurred, earthquake geology, paleoseismology, seismology, geodesy, engineering seismology, landslides, ground deformation, ground motion, and the tsunami. Studies related to impact on the built environment, economy and community are also welcomed.
Guest Editors for the volume are:
- Kelvin Berryman, GNS Science, New Zealand (K.Berryman@gns.cri.nz);
- Anna Kaiser, GNS Science, New Zealand (A.Kaiser@gns.cri.nz);
- Ian Hamling, GNS Science, New Zealand (I.Hamling@gns.cri.nz);
- Tim Stahl, University of Michigan (tstahl@umich.edu).
Inquiries and notices of intent to submit a paper should be directed initially to Kelvin Berryman.
The special issue is planned for late spring of 2018. BSSA will begin accepting submissions immediately; the submission deadline is 15 October 2017. Manuscripts should be prepared as described by the BSSA Submissions Guidelines and should be submitted via http://bssa.edmgr.com. Authors should select the category “Kaikoura Earthquake Special Issue” during the submittal process. Questions related to scientific issues may be addressed to the guest editors or to BSSA Editor-in-Chief Thomas Pratt at bssaeditor@seismosoc.org, while those related to submission of papers may be addressed to Manuscript Coordinator Betty Schiefelbein at bssamss@seismosoc.org.