We provide a summary of the surface fault ruptures produced by the Mw7.8 14 November 2016 Kaikōura earthquake, including examples of damage to engineered structures, transportation networks and farming infrastructure produced by direct fault surface rupture displacement. We also provide an overview of the earthquake in the context of the earthquake source model and estimated ground motions from the current (2010) version of the National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) for New Zealand. A total of 21 faults ruptured along a c.180 km long zone during the earthquake, including some that were unknown prior to the event. The 2010 version of the NSHM had considered multi-fault ruptures in the Kaikōura area, but not to the degree observed in the earthquake. The number of faults involved a combination of known and unknown faults, a mix of complete and partial ruptures of the known faults, and the non-involvement of a major fault within the rupture zone (i.e. the Hope Fault) makes this rupture an unusually complex event by world standards. However, the strong ground motions of the earthquake are consistent with the high hazard of the Kaikōura area shown in maps produced from the NSHM.

The interaction between magmatism and sedimentation creates a range of petroleum plays at different stratigraphic levels due to the emplacement and burial of volcanoes. This study characterizes the spatio-temporal distribution of the fundamental building blocks (i.e., architectural elements) of a buried volcano and enclosing sedimentary strata to provide insights for hydrocarbon exploration in volcanic systems. We use a large data set of wells and seismic reflection surveys from the offshore Taranaki Basin, New Zealand, compared with outcropping volcanic systems worldwide to demonstrate the local impacts of magmatism on the evolution of the host sedimentary basin and petroleum system. We discover the architecture of Kora volcano, a Miocene andesitic polygenetic stratovolcano that is currently buried by more than 1000 m of sedimentary strata and hosts a subcommercial discovery within volcanogenic deposits. The 22 individual architectural elements have been characterized within three main stratigraphic sequences of the Kora volcanic system. These sequences are referred to as premagmatic (predate magmatism), synmagmatic (defined by the occurrence of intrusive, eruptive, and sedimentary architectural elements), and postmagmatic (degradation and burial of the volcanic structures after magmatism ceased). Potential petroleum plays were identified based on the distribution of the architectural elements and on the geologic circumstances resulting from the interaction between magmatism and sedimentation. At the endogenous level, emplacement of magma forms structural traps, such as drag folds and strata jacked up above intrusions. At the exogenous level, syneruptive, intereruptive, and postmagmatic processes mainly form stratigraphic and paleogeomorphic traps, such as interbedded volcano-sedimentary deposits, and upturned pinchout of volcanogenic and nonvolcanogenic coarse-grained deposits onto the volcanic edifice. Potential reservoirs are located at systematic vertical and lateral distances from eruptive centers. We have determined that identifying the architectural elements of buried volcanoes is necessary for building predictive models and for derisking hydrocarbon exploration in sedimentary basins affected by magmatism.

Many volcanoes are buried within Te Riu‐a‐Māui/Zealandia sedimentary basins. Based on a large collection of seismic reflection and drillhole data, this paper outlines the morphology, location and age of over 400 volcanoes buried and preserved in offshore New Zealand basins. We discuss the relationships of these volcanoes to the timing and locations of the main tectonic events that shaped Zealandia in the last 105 Myr. Late Cretaceous volcanism mainly formed large (>20 km ³ ) composite cones and volcanic complexes that erupted along rift faults related to the break‐up of Zealandia from south‐eastern Gondwana. Cenozoic intraplate volcanic activity was widespread, typically forming clusters of scattered small‐volume (<1 km ³ ) craters and cones. In contrast, large Cenozoic volcanic complexes, composite cones and shield volcanoes erupted along linear arcs associated with subduction along the Pacific‐Australian plate boundary. In detail, the presence of pre‐existing structures and types of host rocks also influence the passage of magma in the shallow (<5 km) crust and the location of eruptive centres, regardless the tectonic setting of eruption. Insights from this work demonstrate the value of characterising volcanoes buried in sedimentary basins for improved understanding of the interplay between volcanism and plate tectonics in Zealandia and further afield.

Large volumes of magma emplaced and deposited within sedimentary basins can have an impact on the architecture and geological evolution of these basins. Over the last decade, continuous improvement in techniques such as seismic volcano-stratigraphy and 3D visualisation of igneous bodies has helped increase knowledge about the architecture of volcanic systems buried in sedimentary basins. Here, we present the complete architecture of the Maahunui Volcanic System (MVS), a middle Miocene monogenetic volcanic field now buried in the offshore Canterbury Basin, South Island of New Zealand. We show the location, geometry, size, and stratigraphic relationships between 25 main intrusive, extrusive and sedimentary architectural elements, in a comprehensive volcano-stratigraphic framework that explains the evolution of the MVS from emplacement to complete burial in the host sedimentary basin. Understanding the relationships between these diverse architectural elements allows us to reconstruct the complete architecture of the MVS, including its shallow (<3 km) plumbing system, the morphology of the volcanoes, and their impact in the host sedimentary basin during their burial. The plumbing system of the MVS comprises saucer-shaped sills, dikes and sill swarms, minor stocks and laccoliths, and pre-eruptive strata deformed by intrusions. The eruptive and associated sedimentary architectural elements define the morphology of volcanoes in the MVS, which comprise deep-water equivalents of crater and cone-type volcanoes. After volcanism ceased, the process of degradation and burial of volcanic edifices formed sedimentary architectural elements such as inter-cone plains, epiclastic plumes, and canyons. Insights from the architecture of the MVS can be used to explore for natural resources such as hydrocarbons, geothermal energy and minerals in buried and active volcanic systems elsewhere.