The ‘Swell’ Job of Sorting Out New Zealand’s Unusual Earthquake Patterns

This story puts you on the boat carrying School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences assistant professor Samer Naif and his fellow researchers as they struggled to take readings in choppy waters off New Zealand's northern coast. The researchers’ mission was to collect data for their new study that might answer a key question about an unusual underwater seismic zone called the Hikurangi Margin: In this relatively small area, why are some quakes massive, but others so sneaky that only the most sensitive instruments detect them?