
Bringing Alpine Fault science and hazard impact information to South Island communities, in areas most likely to be affected by an AF8 earthquake.
Please note: This page features details from the 2019 Roadshow. We are currently working on the itinerary for the next The Science Beneath Our Feet roadshow, so we can bring it to more communities around the South Island in early 2020.
While we can’t predict when earthquakes will occur, scientific research has shown that the Alpine Fault has a history of generating regular, large earthquakes. The next event is likely to occur within the lifetime of most of us, or our children and young people, for whom this is likely to have major short and long-term impacts.
The AF8 Roadshow provides South Island communities, in areas most likely to be affected by an AF8 earthquake, with direct access to Alpine Fault science and hazard impact information relevant to them and their region.
On this inaugural tour we visited 12 communities around the South Island, working with local schools and hosting a series of Public Science Talks. Thanks to all our supporters: Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management, the 6 South Island CDEM Groups, Resilience to Nature’s Challenges, GNS Science, QuakeCoRE and University of Otago – we couldn’t do this without you!

Public Science Talks
Science Speakers

Dr. Caroline Orchiston
Dr. Caroline Orchiston is the Deputy Director at the Centre for Sustainability at the University of Otago. She is the Science Lead for Project AF8, a collaboration between Civil Defence and the science community to improve our ability to respond to a future Alpine Fault earthquake. Her research interests lie in the area of natural hazards and societal resilience, with a particular interest in the tourism sector. She is based in Dunedin with her husband Tom and their three children.
Te Anau | Queenstown | Wānaka | Twizel | Aoraki/Mt Cook

Professor Mark Stirling
Professor Mark Stirling is the inaugural Chair of Earthquake Science at the University of Otago, and is a seismologist with a multidisciplinary background in geology and seismology. He moved to his present position in 2016, and prior to that was a Principal Scientist at GNS Science. He has led the development of the last three versions of the national seismic hazard model for New Zealand (1998, 2002 and 2012), which is the hazard basis for the New Zealand Loadings Standard. In his present role his efforts include understanding the occurrence of large earthquakes and likely ground motions in low seismicity regions like Otago, and the development of seismic hazard models for critical facilities in New Zealand and abroad.
Te Anau | Queenstown | WĀNAKA

Dr. Robert Langridge
Dr. Robert Langridge is a Senior Scientist at GNS. He works as an Earthquake Geologist – someone who specifically studies the earthquake history and seismic hazard of faults. In New Zealand, Rob’s focus has been on the Alpine, Hope and Wellington faults. Lately Rob has been involved in the science response to the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake.
Franz Josef | Hokitika | Greymouth | Westport | Reefton

Dr. Kelvin Berryman
Dr. Kelvin Berryman is currently General Manager Strategic Relationships for the Hazards Division of GNS Science. He is a geologist by training and now specialises in the geology of earthquakes and tsunami, in particular those associated with the Alpine Fault and Hikurangi subduction margin. He often works with engineers, planners, and policy makers on design of new structures, seismic safety assessment of infrastructure and disaster risk management. Kelvin was one of the principal spokespersons during the Canterbury earthquake sequence of 2010-11 and more recently in the aftermath of the 2016 Kaikōura Earthquake. In 2012 he received a Queens Service Order honour for services to science and Canterbury earthquake recovery.
Murchison | Picton

Professor Brendon Bradley
Brendon is a Professor of Earthquake Engineering in the Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand; and the Director of QuakeCoRE: The New Zealand Centre for Earthquake Resilience, which is a network of over 180 active researchers. His areas of interest include engineering seismology, strong ground motion prediction, seismic response analysis of structural and geotechnical systems, and seismic performance and loss estimation methods.
Twizel | Aoraki/Mt Cook

Dr. Simon Cox
Dr. Simon Cox is a Principal Scientist at GNS Science in Dunedin. His work involves: fault and earthquake research in the South Island; the mapping of rock avalanches, earthquake-induced landslides and alluvial fan flooding hazards; and building a digital geological map dataset of Antarctica. He has led immediate earthquake response, was part of the Alpine Fault Drilling Project, run experiments on Southern Alps hot springs, and an Earthquake Hydrology project that demonstrates liquefaction damage during the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquakes was exacerbated by leakage and release of groundwater from artesian aquifers.