Supplementary material to "An internally consistent framework for calculating cascading probabilistic earthquake risk and its application to a case study in New Zealand"
Abstract
Napier City is situated on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, within the Hawke's Bay region.The city occupies a predominantly flat coastal plain of approximately 106 km² and supports a population of 62,241 inhabitants (2018 Census, Stats NZ, accessed 12/04/2022).With a density of about 540 inhabitants per km², Napier represents a significant urban centre in the region.Its coastal morphology is defined by a 5 m-high gravel ridge extending north and south of Bluff Hill, uplifted abruptly during the 1931 Mw 7.8 Hawke's Bay earthquake (Komar, 2010).The city is further characterized by two major estuarine systems-the Ahuriri estuary and the confluence of the Ngaruroro, Tutaekuri, and Karamu rivers-which influence both its hydrological and sedimentary dynamics (Haidekker et al., 2016).The largest earthquake to affect the region was the Mw 7.8 Hawke's Bay event of 3 February 1931, during which cascading hazards significantly contributed to the damage and disruption of the built environment.Napier City is particularly vulnerable to liquefaction, as shown by multiple studies (Fairless and Berrill, 1984; Dowrick, 1998; Dellow et al., 2003; Rosser and Dellow, 2017).The 1931 earthquake triggered widespread liquefaction, disrupting lifeline services and damaging residential properties.Its location along the shoreline of the North Island´s east coast, right in front of the Hikurangi SZ located offshore, makes earthquake induced tsunami another key hazard to be considered.It is also possible that the area may be exposed to tsunamis generated by underwater landslides, similar to the rest of the eastern continental margin of New Zealand (Roger et al, 2024).However, consideration of the underwater landslide generated tsunami is beyond the scope of the paper, in part due to the considerable uncertainties that currently exist with the likelihood and size of this potential source of local tsunamis.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Seismic Performance and Analysis
earthquake and tectonic studies
Earthquake and Disaster Impact Studies
Publication details
- Publication date
- 19 January 2026