New earthquake research: Nevis fault rupture would have 'very significant' impact on Queenstown-Lakes District communities

New research in West Otago has revealed the Nevis fault has the potential to rupture like the first Canterbury earthquake did.

It's thought it could produce a magnitude-7 tremor, and there's prehistoric evidence it's happened twice before.

Researchers are now digging in to find out just how destructive the landscape could become.

"It could be that sort of magnitude-7-7.5-type range… when it's going to happen? There's not enough data," says lead researcher Professor Mark Stirling.

The Earthquake Commission-funded research revealed evidence of at least two prehistoric events found inside two 25-metre trenches in the Upper Nevis Basin near Queenstown.

"There's quite a bit of work to do to assess what this means whether this fault is capable of rupturing on a regular basis," says Dr Jo Horrocks, EQC chief research and resilience officer.

A magnitude-7.1 earthquake near Darfield rocked the Canterbury region in 2010. It's thought a similar shake is possible in Otago too.

"The similarities is really that they're both in what we refer to as low-seismicity areas," says Prof Stirling.

"That obviously would be very significant for the region - particularly thinking of the communities in Queenstown-Lakes," says Dr Horrocks.

The Nevis area is well-known for a major tourist attraction, the bungy jump and catapult.

But the affected area of the combined Nevis-Cardrona fault system starts from Lake Wanaka, stretching 100 kilometres down near Garston in Southland.

"While it's not an imminent threat it's more an awareness of the fact there are big faults," says Prof Stirling.

Right next door to some of the most populated parts of the Otago region.