Tectonic Geomorphology and Holocene Uplift Rates of Lae, Papua New Guinea

Lae, Papua New Guinea's second-largest city, is the focus of this geomorphological study on the Ramu-Markham Fault Zone. The data likely contains measurements of river terrace heights and fault displacements to constrain past earthquake events and recurrence intervals. Presented at the 2023 Australian Earthquake Engineering Society Conference, the dataset originates from Geoscience Australia.

Use Cases

• Calculate Holocene uplift rates based on dated river terrace flights.
• Model seismic hazard and risk for Lae city based on fault slip rates and earthquake recurrence intervals.
• Map active fault traces and assess single-event displacements for the Ramu-Markham Fault Zone.
• Analyze the interaction between tectonic uplift and riverine deposition/erosion in the Lae region.

Strengths

• Focuses on a high-convergence-rate zone (~50 mm/yr) accommodating plate boundary motion.
• Includes analysis of river terrace riser heights, typically on the order of 3 m, indicative of large earthquakes.
• Aims to inform a seismic hazard and risk assessment for a major urban area and port.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific study area around Lae.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Field study involving geomorphological mapping and likely future trenching, as described.

Time Range

Holocene epoch

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 03:11:31.292031; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Lae Urban Area and surrounding region, Papua New Guinea