Professor Shane Cronin, looking over
Auckland's volcanic field.
Image: Massey University
Future roads, buildings and infrastructure in New Zealand’s largest city are likely to be based on volcanic risk models developed from ancient eruptions that occurred on a South Korean island.
Massey University researchers have won $960 000 in funding to lead a NZ consortium to work with South Korean counterparts in developing statistical and economic models on the likelihood and impacts of future eruptions on the Auckland region.
The Foundation for Research, Science and Technology will provide the funding over the next three years to the team led by Associate Professor Shane Cronin from the Institute of Natural Resources at the Manawatu campus.
Dr Cronin says the collaboration will allow his team to take a “sister-volcano” approach to the problem.
“The youth of the Auckland Volcanic Field is problematic, because not enough eruptions have occurred to generate robust statistical models,” he says. “We’ve found a sibling volcanic field at Jeju Island in South Korea which is geologically and economically matched to Auckland, but four or five times older, with hundreds of eruptions and several Rangitoto-like episodes. We’re essentially trying to look into the future in Auckland, using the Korean site and results from their parallel research program as a guide.”
Stakeholder groups in the region, including the Auckland Engineering Lifelines Group, the Auckland Regional Council, the Earthquake Commission and the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, will use the results to develop appropriate volcanic-risk management strategies.
“The research will help dictate where major infrastructure projects are located,” Dr Cronin says. “It will help in the planning of electricity lines, water, evacuation routes, bridges, high-rise buildings, schools and roads.”
Dr Cronin has assembled a national research team comprising volcanologists, statisticians, economists and planners from Massey and Auckland universities, GNS Science, Kestrel Group Ltd and Market Economics Ltd.
Editor's Note: Original news release can be found here.
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