This image is an interferogram, produced using data from a Japanese Space Agency satellite. Each set of rainbow-coloured contours represent 11.5cm of movement. Where the coloured contours are closest together is where the largest changes in land motion are occurring.

"Astonishing" satellite images show horizontal land movement from the Kaikoura earthquake of up to six metres southwest and up to five metres northeast.

Radar satellites orbiting about 700km above the Earth are being used to measure how much the ground moved, GeoNet said.

The distance between the satellites and the ground can be measured precisely, so if the ground moves between two satellite passes, due to an earthquake or volcanic eruption, it will be detected and gauged very accurately.

GEONET Data from satellite passes before and after an earthquake can show the extent of ground movement, often with centimetre-level accuracy.

Images coming from European and Japanese satellites were astonishing, giving the most detailed view yet of what happened in the magnitude-7.8 quake, GeoNet said.

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"The satellite images reveal huge changes in land movement across the Hope and Kekerengu faults, as well as several other faults in the region. To the east of these faults, the land went mostly southwest ... In contrast, to the west of these faults the land moved mostly northeastwards," the agency said.

GEONET/DR JOHN ELLIOTT/ESA This image produced from radar data shows up to 5m of horizontal land motion towards the northeast in red, and up to 6m of movement to the southwest in blue.

The images provided more evidence that the quake ruptured at least four different faults, and probably more. The biggest land displacements were seen on the Kekerengu, Hope, Hundalee, and Waipapa Bay faults.

To fit in with the satellite and GPS data, computer simulations replicating ground displacement being done by GNS scientists indicated up to 10 metres of slip across the Kekerengu fault north of Kaikoura.

GNS scientist Dr Ian Hamling said the extent of movement being shown was "a bit of a surprise".

"The radar shows that there's been an awful lot of movement which probably you wouldn't necessarily expect, given the fault locations," he said.

"Definitely a very, very complex rupture, probably the most complex I have ever seen, specially from a radar point of view."

Images being taken every six days by the European Space Agency would show how much the ground continued to move. For instance, Cape Campbell had moved 2.2 metres during the quake, and had moved at least another 10cm since.

"When you put that much stress through the ground, things have to still keep going," Hamling said.

The satellite data could also help work out the amount of vertical movement caused by the quake.

GeoNet has said it estimated land along the coast from Cape Campbell to 20km south of Kaikoura had been raised by between 50cm and 2m.

Hamling said he wouldn't be overly surprised if there were isolated areas where land had risen by more than 2m.

While land deformation did extend quite far inland, analysis done so far, specially involving radar, seemed to show much of the deformation was at the coastline north of Kaikoura, around the area where the Clarence River came out.