%0 Journal Article %T Possible reduction of earthquake hazard on the Wellington Fault, New Zealand, after the nearby 1855, M 8.2 Wairarapa earthquake and implication for interpreting paleoearthquake intervals %A Z. Han %J Annals of Geophysics %D 2003 %I Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) %R 10.4401/ag-3450 %X Based on the indicative modelling, the changes in Coulomb failure function (?CFS) suggest that the W-HV segment and the T-P segment could be stable in at least the future 300 years and 190 years respectively, for these periods should be needed to accumulate the stress released by the M 8.2 Wairarapa earthquake, assuming that there is no influence from other sources, the earthquake did not alter the failure threshold, and that failure is a fairly deterministic process. The results also show that the influence on the W-HV segment and T-P segment of the Wellington Fault caused by the 1855, M 8.2 Wairarapa earthquake is significant considering that the average fault rupture recurrence interval on the Wellington Fault is about 500-770 years. With our present understanding of the Wellington and Wairarapa faults, it can be concluded that the 1855 Wairarapa earthquake retarded earthquake occurrence on the W-HV segment and the T-P segment of the Wellington Fault. Thus the seismic hazard in the Wellington region may be over-estimated. %K Wellington region %K changes on Coulombfailure stress %K earthquake hazard %U http://www.annalsofgeophysics.eu/index.php/annals/article/view/3450