earth science

Matata Fault

Matata Fault is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Matata Fault rather than just read about it. In short: The Matata Fault zone is a seismically active area in the Bay of Plenty Region of the central North Island of New Zealand with potential to rupture as part of an Mw 7.0 event. Geology The Matata Fault zone is the northwestern wall fault of the Whakatāne Graben and extends from the coast near Matatā to where the boundary of the modern Taupō Rift changes direction to a mainly SSE-dipping fault trace of the Manawahe Fa…

Key takeaways

Matata Fault belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Matata Fault to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Matata Fault from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Matata Fault zone is a seismically active area in the Bay of Plenty Region of the central North Island of New Zealand with potential to rupture as part of an Mw 7.0 event.

Geology The Matata Fault zone is the northwestern wall fault of the Whakatāne Graben and extends from the coast near Matatā to where the boundary of the modern Taupō Rift changes direction to a mainly SSE-dipping fault trace of the Manawahe Fault. At this southern end of the fault there is an area of Manawahe dacite that has been dated to 425,000 ± 27,000 years ago. There has been considerable uplift of Castlecliffian (mid Quaternary) marine sediments at a rate of 1 mm (0.039 in)/year to more than 300 m (980 ft) above sea level. An earthquake swam that commenced in 2005 at the northern end of the Matata Fault zone progressed off shore and lasted until 2009. At the coast there was an area of transition of a few miles with lower current seismic activity to defined off shore faults. These earthquakes were also associated with about 400 km2 (150 sq mi) of area that has risen by up to 40 cm (16 in) since the 1950s. The increase of height over this area is not thought to be consistent with a pure tectonic origin but would be consistent with inflation from the accumulation of magma at a depth of about 9.5 km (5.9 mi). This magma body was later interpreted as a newly stalled sill under the northern Matata Fault.

Risks During the period 2005 to 2009 an earthquake swarm occurred near Matatā with many low magnitude earthquakes and one of Mw 4.7 . A potentially whole fault rupture could be up to Mw 7.0 if the fault ruptured at the same time as the shorter Manawahe Fault which is a continuation. Volcanic eruption risk is not negligible given the past eruption of Manawahe Massif dacite/andesite and the coupling of the Manawahe Fault with other eruptions.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Matata Fault

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Matata Fault claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Matata Fault before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Matata Fault ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Matata Fault

In research: Matata Fault appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Matata Fault in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Matata Fault is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Geography of the Bay of Plenty Region, Okataina Volcanic Centre, Seismic faults of New Zealand, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Matata Fault outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Matata Fault in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Matata Fault means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Matata Fault out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Matata Fault in simple terms?

The Matata Fault zone is a seismically active area in the Bay of Plenty Region of the central North Island of New Zealand with potential to rupture as part of an Mw 7.0 event. Geology The Matata Fault zone is the northwestern wall fault of the Whakatāne Graben and extends from the coast near Matatā…

Why does Matata Fault matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Matata Fault?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Matata Fault.