Paleo-quakes illuminate earthquake gates in New Zealand Posted on Citation: Samuels, F. M. D., 2021, Paleo-quakes illuminate earthquake gates in New Zealand, Temblor, http://doi.org/10.32858/temblor.177 New Zealand’s Alpine Fault cuts 530 miles (850 kilometers) along the western edge of Te Waipounamu — the South Island — and marks the boundary between the Australian and Pacific plates. A Few Māori oral histories and tree rings document the most recent rupture along this fault — likely a magnitude-8.1 in 1717. This fault releases a steady beat of large earthquakes through...