Beneath Wellington, a hidden basin boosts distant quake shaking
New geophysics shows sedimentary basins can trap and amplify seismic waves, making distant earthquakes hit cities like Wellington much harder than expected. A revised Wellington basin model (~500 m deep) reveals an edge not aligned with the Wellington Fault, with simulations predicting 2.5–3x higher shaking near the basin’s western edge and helping explain past damage from Kaikōura; the work advocates 3D basin mapping to guide urban zoning and risk assessment for distant earthquakes.