The Kaikoura Earthquake: what happened and what does it mean?

The Kaikoura Earthquake has caused significant disruption to families, infrastructure, and regional economies. While repair work is underway, the long-term significance of the quake is still being assessed.
Victoria University’s Associate Professor John Townend has been helping analyse the earthquake, and is co-ordinating the deployment of seismometers on either side of Cook Strait to measure on-going seismicity, as part of the larger GeoNet-led response.
Associate Professor Townend explains the science behind the quake and its aftershocks.