The shaky isles maybe, but better monitoring of earthquake risks in future...

The shaky isles maybe, but better monitoring of earthquake risks in the future...

Being part of the Pacific ring of fire New Zealand is both a volcanic and earthquake risk, although most of New Zealand's volcanoes have been dormant for many years. However earthquake fautlines have been mapped out in New Zealand. Australians love to have a crack about the country being the 'shaky isles'. Better a few shakes than bushfires I reckon.

NIWA says if a large earthquake occurs it will probably be contained to one NZ island; fault lines through Cook Strait have been mapped out.

Scientists hope research into the country's most active seismic risk area will help to better predict earthquakes in the future.

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research has mapped out fault lines through Cook Strait for the first time. It has found no connections between the major faults running through the North and South Islands, meaning a large earthquake would probably be contained to one island.

Ocean Geology Scientist Dr Philip Barnes says the new fault maps will prove very helpful and give scientists a better idea of the potential locations of future earthquakes and when they might occur. Dr Barnes says the information can be used to predict how an earthquake on one fault might affect another fault.