Washington: The 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit New Zealand this week has lifted the seabed two meters, scientists have confirmed.
“Much of the northeastern coast of the South Island was uplifted during the earthquake. We know this from photos of rock platforms covered in seaweed and marine animals such as crayfish and paua (sea snails) stranded above tide levels,” GNS Science, a New Zealand government-owned research institute, said in a report.
Researchers have said that the coast was raised between 0.5 and 2 metres in the northeastern region of the South Island, from about 20 km south of the town of Kaikoura all the way north to Cape Campbell, the CNN reported.
Aerial photos shared by environmental and engineering consultants Tonkin and Taylor reveal the seabed uplifted an estimated two to two-and-a-half metres out of the sea and above ground level on the foreshore. As a result of the sudden uplift, sea life have been seen stranded out of water, the daily Mail reported.
Dr. Michael Blanpied, associate coordinator with the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program, said similar coastal lifts have been observed in the past, including in earthquakes that hit New Zealand in 1855 and 1931. According to GNS Science, the newly raised coastline of Kaikoura could be a permanent feature.
“Historical and pre-historical examples show that in many parts of New Zealand, these raised beaches remain high above sea level,” researchers reported.
“However, in some parts of the world, raised beaches have been known to gradually drop down again over centuries or be dropped down suddenly in a large earthquake,” they said.
