SEAFAULT – Seismic Imaging of Active Fault Connectivity and Segmentation in a subduction to strike-slip transition zone, Cook Strait, New Zealand

• Applicant: Dr. Fynn Warnke
• Subject Area: Geology ; Geophysics
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 578086609

Central New Zealand faces heightened seismic hazard, with up to 75% probability for a major earthquake (Mw ≥ 8) within the next 50 years. The Cook Strait region, a transition zone between subduction and strike-slip tectonics, hosts numerous offshore faults susceptible to co-rupture, potentially involving the subduction interface. However, the precise geometry, segmentation, and connectivity of these faults across Cook Strait remain poorly constrained, leading to high uncertainty in seismic hazard assessments. The SEAFAULT project addresses these critical knowledge gaps by producing a detailed characterisation of the offshore fault system. This project integrates different marine geophysical datasets by combining advanced processing techniques, such as multi-frequency data blending and state-of-the-art machine learning methods for automated fault detection. Comprehensive analysis focuses on fault identification from high-resolution seismic and bathymetric data, spatial mapping of fault networks, establishment of a seismic stratigraphic framework for age control, and integration of paleoearthquake records to refine recurrence intervals. The results will be incorporated into the New Zealand Community Fault Model and a synthetic earthquake simulator, improving the representation of multi-fault and co-seismic rupture scenarios. The results of SEAFAULT will vastly improve seismic hazard assessments in central New Zealand and establish benchmark methodologies for other global studies of highly complex and hazardous fault zones.

• DFG Programme: WBP Fellowship
• International Connection: New Zealand
• Host: Dr. Philip Barnes