A structural geologist says the Canterbury earthquakes could not have been triggered by the removal of groundwater, despite new research that suggests it has happened overseas.
Scientists studying the fault beneath the Spanish city of Lorca say groundwater removal may have contributed to a deadly earthquake in 2011.
The study published in the journal Nature Geoscience highlights how human activity such as drainage or borehole drilling can cause underground reservoirs to shrink and distort the rocks around them.
Retired geology professor Rick Sibson says although the research is plausible, the situation in Canterbury is very different.
Otago University emeritus professor Sibson says the 5.1 earthquake in Lorca was very shallow and could have been influenced by changes to ground water.
The major Canterbury quakes were deeper and would not have been affected, and, unlike in Spain, the water tables in Canterbury refill quickly.
He says building a dam, or forcing water into the ground down a well, such as in fracking, are more likely to trigger earthquakes.
