Major earthquake could split Wellington region into 'seven islands'SUPPLIED Wellington could be split up into seven "islands" if a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on the Wellington fault line. Wellington's disaster planners are preparing for the possibility that a major earthquake will fracture the region so severely it effectively splits into seven "islands". GNS SCIENCE The Wellington fault line runs right through the middle of the capital, and could separate the two sides of the city if it suffers a major rupture. The seven "islands" would not be separated by water, but would be cut off from each other by crumbled infrastructure. CCDHB acting chief operating officer Carey Virtue said the bleak scenario had been known for some time, but the "seven islands" terminology was born from Civil Defence in the wake of November's 7.8 magnitude Kaikoura earthquake.

Source: Stuff March 24, 2017 07:08 UTC