DNA from kelp records major earthquake that hit Otago about 1000 years ago
Kelp clinging to the rocky South Otago coast has shown scientists the destructive power of a magnitude 7-plus earthquake that hit the region about 1000 years ago.
DNA testing of kelp at Taieri Beach, at the northern end of an uplifted zone where the Akatore Fault reaches the coast, reveals a "clear genetic difference" from kelp on adjacent shoreline that was not raised by the quake.
University of Otago biologist Professor Jon Waters said the research showed major historic quakes could "leave a lasting DNA signature" in terms of coastal recolonisation, just as the November 2016, magnitude 7.8, Kaikōura quake had.
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