Editing Wellington (section)

===Geology===
Wellington suffered serious damage in a series of [[1848 Marlborough earthquake|earthquakes in 1848]]<ref>{{cite web|date=30 March 2005|title=The 1848 Marlborough earthquake – Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/NaturalHazardsAndDisasters/HistoricEarthquakes/2/en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090614222309/http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/NaturalHazardsAndDisasters/HistoricEarthquakes/2/en|archive-date=14 June 2009|access-date=6 February 2009|publisher=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] }}</ref> and from another earthquake in 1855. The [[1855 Wairarapa earthquake]] occurred on the [[Wairarapa Fault]] to the north and east of Wellington. It was probably the most powerful earthquake in recorded New Zealand history,<ref>{{cite web|date=21 September 2007|title=The 1855 Wairarapa earthquake – Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/NaturalHazardsAndDisasters/HistoricEarthquakes/3/en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221195734/http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/NaturalHazardsAndDisasters/HistoricEarthquakes/3/en|archive-date=21 February 2009|access-date=6 February 2009|publisher=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] }}</ref> with an estimated magnitude of at least 8.2 on the [[Moment magnitude scale]]. It caused vertical movements of two to three metres over a large area, including raising land out of the harbour and turning it into a tidal swamp. Much of this land was subsequently [[Reclamation of Wellington Harbour|reclaimed]] and is now part of the central business district. For this reason, the street named [[Lambton Quay]] is 100 to 200 metres (325 to 650&nbsp;ft) from the harbour – plaques set into the footpath mark the shoreline in [[Timeline of New Zealand history#1840s|1840]], indicating the extent of reclamation. The [[1942 Wairarapa earthquakes]] caused considerable damage in Wellington.

The area has high seismic activity even by New Zealand standards, with a major fault, the [[Wellington Fault]], running through the centre of the city and several others nearby. Several hundred minor faults lines have been identified within the urban area. Inhabitants, particularly in high-rise buildings, typically notice several earthquakes every year. For many years after the 1855 earthquake, the majority of buildings were made entirely from wood. The 1996-restored [[Government Buildings (Wellington, New Zealand)|Government Buildings]]<ref>{{NZHPT|37|Government Buildings|2009-02-06}}</ref> near Parliament is the largest wooden building in the Southern Hemisphere. While masonry and [[structural steel]] have subsequently been used in building construction, especially for office buildings, [[timber framing]] remains the primary structural component of almost all residential construction. Residents place their confidence in good [[building code|building regulations]], which became more stringent in the 20th century. Since the Canterbury earthquakes of [[2010 Canterbury earthquake|2010]] and [[2011 Christchurch earthquake|2011]], earthquake readiness has become even more of an issue, with buildings declared by [[Wellington City Council]] to be earthquake-prone,<ref>{{cite web|author=Dave Burgess|date=14 March 2011|title=Shuddering in Wellington|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/4761054/Shuddering-in-Wellington|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110323052804/http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/4761054/Shuddering-in-Wellington|archive-date=23 March 2011|access-date=28 October 2012|publisher=Fairfax NZ}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Hank Schouten|date=2 June 2012|title=How safe are the capital's office buildings?|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/business/commercial-property/7031111/How-safe-are-the-capitals-office-buildings|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604002602/http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/business/commercial-property/7031111/How-safe-are-the-capitals-office-buildings|archive-date=4 June 2012|access-date=28 October 2012|work=The Dominion Post|location=Wellington}}</ref> and the costs of meeting new standards.<ref>{{cite web|author=Kate Chapman|date=16 October 2012|title=Councillors question quake costs|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington-central/7822064/Councillors-question-quake-costs|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019022226/http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington-central/7822064/Councillors-question-quake-costs|archive-date=19 October 2012|access-date=28 October 2012|work=The Dominion Post|location=Wellington}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Dave Burgess & Hank Schouten|date=1 October 2011|title=Quake shakes capital insurance market|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5714033/Quake-shakes-capital-insurance-market|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024173536/http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5714033/Quake-shakes-capital-insurance-market|archive-date=24 October 2012|access-date=28 October 2012|work=The Dominion Post|location=Wellington}}</ref>

Every five years, a year-long slow quake occurs beneath Wellington, stretching from Kapiti to the [[Marlborough Sounds]]. It was first measured in 2003, and reappeared in 2008 and 2013.<ref>{{cite news|date=28 May 2013|title='Silent' quake gently rocks Wellington|work=3 News NZ|url=http://www.3news.co.nz/Silent-quake-gently-rocks-Wellington/tabid/1160/articleID/299393/Default.aspx|url-status=dead|access-date=28 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140823115722/http://www.3news.co.nz/Silent-quake-gently-rocks-Wellington/tabid/1160/articleID/299393/Default.aspx|archive-date=23 August 2014}}</ref> It releases as much energy as a magnitude 7 quake, but as it happens slowly, there is no damage.<ref>{{cite news|date=27 May 2013|title=M7 slow release earthquake under Wellington|work=[[GeoNet (New Zealand)|GeoNet]] NZ|url=http://info.geonet.org.nz/display/quake/2013/05/27/M7+slow+release+earthquake+under+Wellington|url-status=live|access-date=28 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607231015/http://info.geonet.org.nz/display/quake/2013/05/27/M7+slow+release+earthquake+under+Wellington|archive-date=7 June 2013}}</ref>

During July and August 2013 there were many earthquakes, mostly in Cook Strait near Seddon. The sequence started at 5:09 pm on Sunday 21 July 2013 when the magnitude 6.5 [[2013 Seddon earthquake|Seddon earthquake]] hit the city, but no tsunami report was confirmed nor any major damage.<ref>{{cite news|date=21 July 2013|title=New Zealand's capital shaken by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-21/strong-earthquake-near-wellington-shakes-new-zealand/4833724|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130722062818/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-21/strong-earthquake-near-wellington-shakes-new-zealand/4833724|archive-date=22 July 2013|access-date=21 July 2013|publisher=ABC News|location=Australia}}</ref> At 2:31&nbsp;pm on Friday 16 August 2013 the [[2013 Lake Grassmere earthquake|Lake Grassmere earthquake]] struck, this time magnitude 6.6, but again no major damage occurred, though many buildings were evacuated.<ref>[http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9051982/Earthquakes-rock-central-New-Zealand Strong 6.6 earthquake hits Wellington, aftershocks...] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013213046/http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9051982/Earthquakes-rock-central-New-Zealand|date=13 October 2013}}. Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 7 September 2013.</ref> On Monday 20 January 2014 at 3:52&nbsp;pm [[2014 Eketāhuna earthquake|a rolling 6.2 magnitude earthquake]] struck the lower North Island 15&nbsp;km east of [[Eketāhuna]] and was felt in Wellington, but little damage was reported initially, except at [[Wellington Airport]] where one of the two giant eagle sculptures commemorating [[The Hobbit]] became detached from the ceiling.<ref>{{Cite news|date=20 January 2014|title=6.2 earthquake cuts power, phones, stops trains|publisher=[[1News|One News]]|url=http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/6-2-earthquake-cuts-power-phones-stops-trains-5803966|url-status=dead|access-date=21 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150516084016/http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/6-2-earthquake-cuts-power-phones-stops-trains-5803966|archive-date=16 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=20 January 2014|title=Quake: 'Hobbit' sculpture crashes down at N.Z. airport|work=USA Today|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2014/01/20/quake-hobbit-sculpture-crashes-down-at-nz-airport/4658349/|url-status=live|access-date=21 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227012625/https://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2014/01/20/quake-hobbit-sculpture-crashes-down-at-nz-airport/4658349/|archive-date=27 December 2017}}</ref>

At two minutes after midnight on Monday 14 November 2016, the 7.8 magnitude [[2016 Kaikōura earthquake|Kaikōura earthquake]], which was centred between Culverden and Kaikōura in the South Island, caused the Wellington CBD, [[Victoria University of Wellington]], and the [[Public transport in the Wellington Region#Trains|Wellington suburban rail network]] to be largely closed for the day to allow inspections. The earthquake damaged a considerable number of buildings, with 65% of the damage being in Wellington. Subsequently, a number of recent buildings were demolished rather than being rebuilt, often a decision made by the insurer. Two of the buildings demolished were about eleven years old – the seven-storey [[NZDF]] headquarters<ref>{{cite web|date=3 March 2017|title=Defence House in Wellington to be demolished after investigations show repairs to earthquake damage uneconomic|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11811572|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928121800/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11811572|archive-date=28 September 2018|access-date=16 May 2018|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=3 March 2017|title=Freyberg House to be demolished|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/90039055/freyberg-house-to-be-demolished-doe-to-earthquake-damage|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109181753/https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/90039055/freyberg-house-to-be-demolished-doe-to-earthquake-damage|archive-date=9 January 2018|access-date=16 May 2018|publisher=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |location=New Zealand}}</ref> and Statistics House at Centreport on the waterfront.<ref>{{cite web|date=26 July 2017|title=Unacceptable performance of building says Minister|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/nz-earthquake/100213379/demolition-begins-on-earthquakedamaged-statistics-house-in-wellington|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110063441/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/nz-earthquake/100213379/demolition-begins-on-earthquakedamaged-statistics-house-in-wellington|archive-date=10 January 2018|access-date=16 May 2018|publisher=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |location=New Zealand}}</ref> The docks were closed for several weeks after the earthquake.<ref>{{cite web|date=31 July 2017|title=Maersk to return to Wellington when CentrePort's cranes are repaired|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/95292005/maersk-to-return-to-wellington-when-centreports-cranes-are-repaired|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928083156/https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/95292005/maersk-to-return-to-wellington-when-centreports-cranes-are-repaired|archive-date=28 September 2018|access-date=28 September 2018|publisher=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |location=New Zealand}}</ref>