Jeff Lang
2024: Dr Jeff Lang of Lincoln Agritech Ltd will develop and validate a novel approach to identifying past earthquakes, their shaking intensities and precise dates using a natural record within the caves of Aotearoa New Zealand
Recent studies indicate that strong ground motions leave elevated traces of magnesium within stalagmites and stalactites. Dr Lang will analyse magnesium and its chemical make-up (isotopes) to identify signatures of historic earthquakes and validate these as a new marker for past seismic activity. In collaboration with kaitiaki local guardians, samples from caves in Te Matau-a-Māui Hawke’s Bay, will be calibrated against the shaking intensity of past earthquakes based on mātauranga Māori and historic (post-1840 CE) records. Ultimately, the method developed in this research could be used to read the past record of earthquakes held in caves across Aotearoa New Zealand and the world.
Dr Jeff Lang conducting fieldwork in a cave (Supplied)