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Seismic hazard in the Taupo - Reporoa Region

Abstract
New Zealand lies astride a convergent plate margin, as a result it experiences hundreds of earthquakes a year. This study was commissioned in response to Environment Waikato's contingency planning for such natural disasters. The Taupo - Reporoa region was identified in a report to Environment Waikato (Waikato Regional Council) as needing to be studied, in order to quantify the level of earthquake hazard. This region lies in the centre of the Taupo Volcanic Zone, and has, over thousands of years built up considerable thicknesses of unconsolidated mainly volcanogenic materials. It is recognised that towns and cities that are sited on these materials are at risk from amplification of seismic waves and will experience greater damage, than if they were on hard rock. Soils were analysed by the following geotechnical tests: hand penetrometer, Bush penetrometer, shear vane, the standard compression test, and dynamic cyclical loading. Samples were also taken for soil moisture and bulk density. The results from these tests have been used to evaluate the region for seismic hazard, and to semi-quantitatively correlate with reports and claims of damage from earthquakes. A number of parameters were able to be derived from the field tests and the cyclic loading which were used in the final analysis. The results showed that some soils were substantially weaker than others, which correlated with historical accounts of damage. A seismic microzoning map was constructed on the basis of the difference in soil strengths.
Type
Thesis
Type of thesis
Series
Citation
Pyne, A. (1995). Seismic hazard in the Taupo - Reporoa Region (Thesis, Master of Science (Technology) (MSc(Tech))). The University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10289/13181
Date
1995
Publisher
The University of Waikato
Rights
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