An Italian study that finds a possible link in the big Canterbury earthquakes is attracting criticism from New Zealand scientists.
The study suggests the 22 February Christchurch earthquake was linked to a build-up of stress caused by the Darfield quake on 4 September 2010.
But a principal scientist at GNS Science, John Beavan, says the epicentre of the second earthquake is incorrectly identified and descriptions of New Zealand tectonics are patchy.
He says while the two earthquakes are undoubtedly connected, the stress build-up identified by the researchers is negligible.
Canterbury University geologist Mark Quigley says the study is poorly referenced and has fundamental errors.
The research appears in Scientific Reports, published by the journal Nature.
