The Greendale Fault is an active seismic fault situated in the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand's South Island. The fault was previously unknown to geologists until 4 September 2010, as physical traces of the fault had been buried by gravel (alluvial deposits) during the last glaciation period.
A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake, occurred on the Greendale Fault at 4:35 am on local time (16:35 UTC). The quake caused widespread damage and several power outages, particularly in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand's second largest city.