The big earthquake that struck New Zealand last year may have been the most complex ever, say scientists.

November's Magnitude 7.8 event ruptured a near-200km-long swathe of territory, shifting parts of the South Island 5m closer to the North Island.
Whole blocks of ground were buckled and lifted upwards, in places by up to 8m.
Subsequent investigations have found that at least 12 separate faults broke during the quake, including some that had not previously been mapped.
Writing up its findings in the journal Science, an international team says the Kaikoura event, as it has become known, should prompt a rethink about how earthquakes are expected to behave in high-risk regions such as New Zealand.
"What we saw was a scenario that would never have been included in our seismic hazard models," said Dr Ian Hamling from the country's geophysics research agency, GNS Science.
At issue was the way the quake was able to rupture so far along its path, to produce such a big magnitude.
Starting in the South Island's North Canterbury region, the crustal failure moved eastwards and northwards along the coast to Marlborough Province, before then petering out offshore. In the process, the quake managed to straddle two major fault networks.
The behaviour challenged some long-accepted ideas. One of these is the notion that ruptures cannot jump large separations between individual fault segments.
Five km is considered something of a limit. But in the Kaikoura event, substantially larger step-overs were recorded.
How this was possible is not fully explained, says Prof Tim Wright from Leeds University, UK.
"We think the main reason was some very large stress changes introduced early in the earthquake that then triggered the later segments to fail," he told the Science In Action programme on the BBC World Service.
"There were also in this case some faults we didn't know about, even though New Zealand has one of the best fault maps in the world; and so some of these big jumps were facilitated by motion on faults we didn't know were there. But in many cases, there are genuine gaps of 15-20km."
The team believes the exceptional nature of the Kaikoura event raises questions about how the risk of future quakes is assessed. Some of the assumptions that go into building seismic models now need to be revisited, the group argues.
In terms of magnitude, only December's M7.9 event in Papua New Guinea was bigger in 2016. Given the level of shaking produced in the New Zeland quake, it is remarkable there were so few deaths ("just" two) and injuries. Hundreds of people in the town of Kaikoura itself did though have to be evacuated because landslides had cut local roads.
Also astonishing was the scale of "surface expression". Giant fissures opened in the ground, highways were broken by metres-long offsets, beaches rose up from the sea, and railway lines were lifted high into the air.
One of the most photographed areas was the countryside around the Papatea fault.
"You can call it bonkers; it's certainly a real puzzle," said Dr Hamling. "It's a block of material of about 50 sq km that's been thrust up out of the ground by about 8m and then pushed south by 4-5m.
"To try to model it in the traditional way is almost impossible; it's very hard to explain how you can get this thing to pop up in the manner that it has."
To understand the complexity of the Kaikoura quake, the scientists used a range of techniques, including mapping with satellite interferometry.
This works by finding the difference in "before" and "after" radar images of the Earth taken from orbit. It allows even quite subtle ground movements to be detected, including in those areas where the surface itself has not been ripped apart.
The team was able to call on two different systems - the Sentinel-1 spacecraft operated by Europe, and the Alos platform owned by the Japanese.
"Alos's longer radar wavelengths allow us to see through the vegetation; we can see the tree trunks rather than the leaves and they're much more stable for making deformation maps," explained Prof Wright.
"However, with Sentinel's shorter wavelengths you get much more detail, which allows us to narrow down exactly where the deformation has occurred."
Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos


Didcot is an unassuming place, perhaps best known for its power and railway stations, but apparently it represents England more than any other.

The Oxfordshire town has been crowned the most normal in the country by a group of number-crunching statisticians.
Ten of its streets were a particularly close match to the national average lifestyle, opinions and experiences.
Mayor Steve Connel called the findings "tremendous".
Didcot came closest to the statistical median when taking into account things like age, ethnicity, marital status, property ownership, employment, Euroscepticism, the 2015 Election vote share, income, and house prices.
The study was inspired by the 1947 James Stewart movie Magic Town, in which a pollster finds a place he believes perfectly represents national opinion.
1. Didcot, Oxfordshire
2. Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire
3. Bath Road area, Worcester
4. Southwick, West Sussex
5. East Leake, Nottinghamshire
Didcot's most recognisable feature is the coal-fired Didcot A Power Station, which was turned off in 2013 after 43 years in service.
Part of its boiler house collapsed in February last year, killing four workers.
Several main line services utilise Didcot Parkway Station, while the nearby Didcot Railway Centre museum has featured in major Hollywood films.
Didcot is also surrounded by science parks and developments, though Mr Connel said the streets studied were primarily in the older part of the town.
He said: "We have a very diverse group within Didcot. We have a large retired population, working professionals who commute, a scientific community, and a large grass roots working community.
"You can look at every aspect of British life and it's there somewhere within Didcot, and that's probably why we've been named the most normal town - statistically anyway."
He described residents as "people who work hard, get on with their lives, and do everything they can to advance their community, and if the spirit represented in Didcot is considered normal across Britain, then I think we're in tremendous shape".
Jeanette Howse, who organises street fairs in the town, and works at Tourism South East, said the findings showed that Didcot was a "balanced" town.
"It's also a very vibrant town with lots going on," she added.
"A shopping centre which is about to be expanded and is thriving, a railway centre celebrating 50 years this year, lots of clubs, groups and activities... now everyone will want to live here."
Marc Warner, chief executive of ASI Data Science, said: "Most people live in a bubble whereby their experiences in life are heavily influenced by the area they live in and the people they interact with.
"Our study allows researchers and decision makers to better understand a 'normal' life experience."
Data was gathered from the Office for National Statistics and the 2011 Census records. It used a sample of 1,700 people from each area.


A large gorse fire that threatened houses and a school in Newry, County Down, is believed to have been started deliberately, fire crews have said.

More than 60 firefighters tackled the blaze on a hill behind Barley Lane on Friday night, with flames coming within yards of some homes.
The fire, near St Mary's High School, was reported at about 20:50 BST and was not extinguished until 02:00 BST.
It was just one of 161 incidents crews dealt with since 18:00 BST on Friday.
Local residents watched, some in tears, as the flames moved perilously close to their houses.
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) Group Commander Brian Stanfield said eight fire appliances were used to battle the blaze, which was about a mile from the city centre.
Faye Broadway, who lives a few streets away, told BBC News NI that residents were upset and some had fled their homes in their nightwear.
She said she witnessed two elderly women "in tears" as they looked for missing pets.
Ms Broadway's partner, David Cadden, said they were looking out of their bedroom window when they saw thick, black smoke coming over their house and then flames reaching above tree-level.
"We decided to just take a walk up to make sure that there was no-one in danger, because it looked quite serious," he said.
"As I was going up, there were people running out of their house, crying... it's been quite dramatic really."
Mr Cadden said: "I walked up to the back of their houses and the fire was literally a stone's thrown away, with ash falling down and embers hitting the roof.
"They were all running out of the house in their pyjamas, with dogs in their hands, and running across the street."
He described how the ash was also falling on crowds as they gathered to watch and firefighters moved members of the public back for their own safety.
Some of the crews deployed to the scene were sent from as far away as Belfast, on a very busy night for the service.
Earlier on Friday, firefighters revealed that they had dealt with 221 gorse fires over the last five days, 92% of which were started deliberately.
They said the recent spell of dry, sunny weather, had "provided a tinderbox landscape" for gorse fires.


Customers have been spotting "special offers" in shops where the deals on items are not as good as they seem.
When bamboozled by numerous store deals, most shoppers are unable to identify the cheapest, according to financial experts.
But some eagle-eyed shoppers have pictured some of the not-so-great bargains available on the shelves.
Pat Monger tweeted a picture of this deal in a Tesco in Chichester.
She says: "This one was confusing, but in the best possible way for a Diet Coke addict."
It certainly would not have been a suitable offer for Geri from Haddington, East Lothian, who got in touch with us to say: "Most price-saving offers are geared towards bulk buying. We are OAPs, and we do not need to bulk buy due to wastage and lack of storage. Consequently, such offers are useless for us."
On Twitter, @barrydiz took this image of two different sized jars of mustard - the smaller jar being the dearest, in a Co-op store in Surrey.
"How does this work?" he asks.
@manatrue tweeted us her "special offer" experience:
Katherine Kent from Glossop in Derbyshire says she takes her time when she shops so that she can work out the best deals.
"I always have my calculator app with me when shopping because the offers in the supermarkets are so confusing.  It may take an extra half hour to do my shopping, but I save money by ensuring that I calculate the best deal."
@BaconBantam tweeted this Asda "offer" that would cost customers two pence more if two of the same items were bought.
@robburrow says he could have saved a hefty thruppence here: "I'm confused as to how they thought this was a special offer."
Fortunately, shoppers have kept their sense of humour in the aisles, such as @che7119:
And finally, when there is no offer at all - @darrenjs took this image of a Sainsbury's "bargain":


The spat between Unilever and Tesco may have reached a truce, but experts have predicted that food prices are likely to rise next year anyway.

Dozens of household brands were taken off Tesco's online site amid a dispute with the food manufacturer Unilever over a price hike.
Consumers had been expecting a surge in the price of much-loved brands including PG Tips tea, Pot Noodles and Marmite until the company backed down.
The British Retail Consortium said shoppers have benefited from an "extraordinary run", as supermarket price wars kept food prices stable.  Some of the products supplied by Unilever had not changed in price at all in at least five years.
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Whether they love it or hate it, the Marmite row has left shoppers considering their options if food prices rise.
In Birmingham city centre, student Kimren Basi sees it having an impact on the cost of living.
The 26-year-old from Derby said: "When the prices are going up I need to save to get books and travel, and so when food is getting more expensive you have to start resorting to cheaper products.
"I would rather go with the products that I am used to. With the prices going up it does affect my decision on what I want to buy."
Andrew Bryan from Tamworth, however, uses budget supermarkets rather than the likes of Tesco.
The 33-year-old said: "I don't really tend to buy that many branded products  so it shouldn't impact our weekly shop. But if these prices go up I don't think it will really affect me."
Civil servant Claire Morgan, from Wednesbury, thinks the entire Tesco-Unilever row has been blown out of proportion.
"I think it has been hyped up, but if I can't send Marmite to Italy there might be an issue - my relatives might not be too happy about it because I send it over there to them."
Richard Lees from Telford is not concerned for himself about food price rises, but he does wonder how it will affect others.
The 51-year-old computer consultant said: "You only have to look around Birmingham to see how many people are already living on the streets, it's just going to make life difficult for a lot of people."
Archives of Tesco's website show a Pot Noodle has consistently sold for £1 since 2011, while a 250g of Bovril beef paste still costs £3.20.
Had a 10% rise been applied to Marmite and passed on to the consumer, however, people would still have been paying less than they were in 2013.
Before Tesco took it off the website, it was selling for £2.35 for a 250g jar.
That compares with £2.69 in June 2013.
And Ben & Jerry's ice cream currently sells at £4, unless it is on special offer. A 10% hike would have taken it to £4.40, still 9p less than people were paying for it in 2015.
Gilad Simhony, chief executive of mySupermarket, said: "At the moment, we are finding the supermarket price wars have overcome any inflation concerns caused by the weak sterling."
That could all start to change.
Steven Dresser, retail analyst at Grocery Insight, said there was likely to be a round of price hikes in January as retailers look to pass on higher costs once the festive season is out the way.
He said: "No one wants to put prices up ahead of Christmas. Others may just wait until January.
"It's only going to get more painful."
Reporting: Daniel Wainwright and Danielle Hayden


People in the United States will vote for their new president on 8 November.

2 November 2016 Last updated at 21:48 GMT
Hillary Clinton is going for the top job and if she wins she'll become the first female US President.
But what might stop her is that some American people say they don't trust her.
Ayshah has been to Pittsburgh, in the state of Pennsylvania, to find out why Clinton's fans think she's the best person for the job.
Find out about the kids who support Donald Trump here.


A grand Victorian fountain has been switched back on after part of it fell apart during cold weather.

The Earl Of Dudley had the Perseus and Andromeda fountain built to impress his guests when he owned Witley Court in Worcestershire
There are dozens of jets hidden among the fountain's sculptures, widely considered to be one of the finest in Europe, English Heritage said.
Repairs and conservation work has been going for the past seven months.
English Heritage said the elaborate fountain, completed in 1850, depicts the Greek myth of Andromeda chained to a rock as a sacrifice to appease a sea monster sent by Poseidon, as hero Perseus swoops down to rescue her.
The repairs were needed after Andromeda's right arm came off in December in 2015.
The house was ruined in a fire in 1937 and now stands empty, with visitors able to walk around its gardens set in 62 acres.


Championship side Bournemouth will play Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup.

The south coast side have never featured in the last eight and will now host eight-time winners Liverpool at the Goldsands Stadium.
Derby have a home tie against Premier League leaders Chelsea, while League One Sheffield United welcome high-flying Southampton.
Newcastle, who knocked out holders Manchester City, travel to Tottenham.
The ties will be played in the week beginning 15 December.
Sheffield United reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup last season and are enjoying another good cup run after knocking out MK Dons in the previous round.
Championship leaders Derby are rewarded for coming from 2-0 down to beat Fulham 5-2 with a home draw against the Premier League leaders.
Bournemouth - the third of the non-Premier League sides left in the competition - eliminated West Brom on Tuesday.
Full quarter-final draw:
Derby v Chelsea
Tottenham v Newcastle
Bournemouth v Liverpool
Sheffield United v Southampton


Students are boycotting University Challenge over claims a complaint about "misogynistic and sexist comments" during a recording of the BBC Two quiz show was not taken seriously enough.

The University of Reading's students' union has voted not to take part, after hearing claims relating to a previous appearance on the show by the Reading team.
But the university says the programme is a "national institution" and will step in to ensure that Reading is represented in the contest.
"We want our brightest and best students competing against the top universities in the UK in front of millions of viewers - not waving the white flag and refusing to enter," said a University of Reading spokesman.
Reading teams have previously been organised by the university's students' union.
"The university now plans to step in and recruit a team, given the students' union has opted out," said the university spokesman.
He said the university did not know the details of the dispute between the team and the television programme.
The union's education officer, Niall Hamilton, said a confidentiality agreement meant it could not specify the comments that had caused concern - but the students' union believed that complaints had not been taken seriously enough.
"Misogyny and sexism are not about 'offending' contestants, but undermining and oppressing individuals due to their gender," he wrote on the students' union website.
"These forms of oppression should not be taken lightly," wrote Mr Hamilton.
The students' union voted 120 to 105 in favour of adopting a policy of boycotting the quiz show.


Coronation Street actress Beverley Callard is taking "time off" from the ITV soap, saying she is "battling the demons of depression".

She has had the condition for about seven years and took a break after a collapse on the Manchester set in 2009.
The 59-year-old actress said on Twitter that one of her medications had been discontinued by its makers because "apparently it doesn't make money".
An ITV source said her doctors were looking "for a suitable alternative".
In response to messages from well-wishers, she tweeted: "I'm getting there!!!! Thanks so much for all your good wishes."
The Morley-born actress, who plays pub landlady Liz McDonald, recently described the illness as the "curse of the strong" in an interview with BBC North West Tonight.
"I just didn't think anyone like me would have [depression] because I'm a strong, feisty female."
She ended up in nearly Â£150,000 of debt when two pubs she ran with her partner went bust in 2008.
The actress first collapsed while driving to the Coronation Street studios in 2009 but said she "waited till I felt better, didn't tell anyone - then got back in my car".
"I drove to work at 6.30am and filmed till 8.20pm that night, and then I collapsed."
In an interview with the broadcaster Piers Morgan in 2014, she recalled trying to take her life "maybe half a dozen times".
Callard, an ambassador for the mental health charity Mind, said: in February: "I occasionally fight the demons but, more often than not, I'm doing very well."
Source: Mind


British teenager Gabriella Taylor is "thankful" to have overcome a mystery illness that forced her to withdraw from junior Wimbledon.

The 18-year-old spent four days in hospital in an intensive care unit after having to retire from her girls' singles quarter-final.
Taylor, from Southampton, is yet to be given a diagnosis.
"It was such an awful experience, probably the worst time of my life," she told BBC Sport.
Taylor, ranked 375 in the world, has not picked up a racquet since she was forced to stop playing shortly after losing the first set against Kayla Day of the United States on 7 July.
"I couldn't continue," she told BBC South Today. "It was heartbreaking."
"It started the day before as a stomach bug and I managed to overcome it by winning my match that day.
"But, the day of the quarter-final, I woke up and felt 10 times worse. I couldn't believe it was happening to me in one of the most important tournaments of my life.
"I'm just thankful to be out of hospital and to all the staff at Southampton General who supported me and helped me through it."
You can now add tennis alerts in the BBC Sport app - simply head to the menu and My Alerts section


Hillary Clinton says she is "confident" a new FBI probe linked to her emails will not change its original finding that she should not be prosecuted.

The Democratic presidential candidate called on the FBI director to explain the new inquiry to the American people.
James Comey earlier said the FBI was looking into newly found messages.
The latest emails came to light during a separate inquiry into top Clinton aide Huma Abedin's estranged husband, former congressman Anthony Weiner.
Devices belonging to Ms Abedin and Mr Weiner were seized in a separate FBI inquiry into whether he sent sexually explicit emails to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina.
"The American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately," said Mrs Clinton, in her first public comments on the issue.
"It's imperative that the bureau explain this issue in question, whatever it is, without any delay."
She highlighted that Mr Comey had said "he doesn't know whether the emails referenced in his letter are significant or not", adding: "I'm confident (that) whatever they are will not change the conclusion reached in July."
Mr Comey said the FBI would investigate if the newly discovered emails contain classified information.
The FBI chief said in a letter to Congress that investigators had discovered the emails "in connection with an unrelated case... that appear to be pertinent to the investigation".
He said he "cannot yet assess whether or not this material may be significant, and I cannot predict how long it will take us to complete this additional work".
The FBI has already established the Democratic candidate had classified information on a private email server.
In July, Mr Comey said Mrs Clinton's handling of sensitive material during her 2009-13 tenure as secretary of state was "extremely careless", but cleared her of any criminal wrongdoing.
The revelation that she handled sensitive information while breaking federal rules by running her own email server out of her upstate New York home has dogged her campaign since last year.
It could be nothing. It could be everything. And it almost certainly won't be resolved before Americans head to the polls in just under two weeks.
The letter from Mr Comey to Congress is frustratingly vague. There's no information, for instance, or how many emails are in question. That will only fuel the rampant speculation already breaking out, with leaks from "government sources" in the coming days sure to fan the flames.
Mrs Clinton's critics will go on the attack, using the latest news to support their claims that the former secretary of state engaged in malfeasance. Her supporters will spend the next few days in a defensive crouch, trying to assess how bad the damage could be.
What's certain, however, is that whether this turns out to be a big deal or not, it places the spotlight on all the wrong places for the Clinton campaign. It all but guarantees that even if she wins White House, the early days of her presidency will be dogged by this long-running political imbroglio.
Earlier, Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta criticised the FBI's "extraordinary" timing.
The revelation comes just 11 days before Americans go to the polls in the presidential election.
Mrs Clinton is five points ahead of her Republican rival Donald Trump, according to a Real Clear Politics average.
What a difference a plane journey makes. When we left Westchester, New York, on Hillary Clinton's campaign plane, spirits were high amongst her staff.
Her campaign manager, Robby Mook, came to the back of the plane and told reporters that early voting was going in their favour and that Mrs Clinton would even campaign in Republican-leaning Arizona next week.
But Mr Mook added that they weren't taking anything for granted. He said: "Hillary is superstitious."
When we landed and wifi internet was restored, the Clinton team first learned the news of a reopened FBI investigation.
She was right to be superstitious.
As we got off the plane, one of her advisers told us: "We are just learning about this at the same time as you are."
Mrs Clinton stayed on for far longer than usual. Her team were digesting the news and working out how to respond.
When she did walk off the plane, she smiled and ignored shouted questions from the media on the tarmac about the long-running email saga.
Who is ahead in the polls?
50%
Hillary Clinton
44%
Donald Trump
Last updated October 25, 2016
At a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, Mr Trump told a cheering crowd: "They've reopened the case into her criminal and illegal conduct that threatened the security of the United States of America.
"Hillary Clinton's corruption is on a scale we've never seen before. We must not let her take her criminal scheme into the Oval Office."
Paul Ryan, the highest-ranked elected Republican, called the FBI decision "long overdue".
The House of Representatives Speaker renewed his call for the Director of National Intelligence to halt classified briefings for the Democratic candidate.
"She was entrusted with some of our nation's most important secrets, and she betrayed that trust by carelessly mishandling highly classified information," he said.
The former secretary of state's private email server was first revealed in March 2015 by the New York Times.
She did not immediately express regret, and said the main reason for her "hdr22@clintonemail.com" address was "convenience".
Soon after that she apologised in an interview with ABC News, and has since said sorry to voters a number of times.
Who will win? Play our game to make your call


New Swansea manager Bob Bradley says his side can take a lot of positives from their 3-2 defeat at Arsenal.

The 10-man Gunners won their sixth game in a row thanks to a Theo Walcott double and Mesut Ozil's winner, with Gylfi Sigurdsson and Borja replying for Swansea.
"We don't leave feeling good, but there were some things on the field that make you say 'OK, that is a start,' Bradley said.
"We can become a really good team."
The former United States national coach added it was "an exciting game, but obviously it didn't finish how we wanted it to".
"I didn't like our start, we were slow to step out and gave them too much of the ball," he continued.
"Arsenal is a team where if you don't make the most of your chances, they will play through the lines.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"That part of the game I didn't like and, of course, that coincides from our end with two poor goals.
"But I thought there were moments where we closed down the ball more, moments where we pressed and pushed the ball higher.
"If we can take the starting points we saw today, then there is a chance we can become a really good team."
Bradley, who replaced Francesco Guidolin to become the first American to manage in the Premier League, feels the pressure will be on the Swans when they host Watford next weekend.
Defeat at Arsenal has seen the South Wales side slip to 19th in the Premier League after four successive defeats, but the 58-year old is confident his team can survive.
"Next week's game will be very different and as we are at home, there will be more more pressure. Especially with the stretch the team has been on," Bradley added.
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"But course we are confident we can turn this around - after the week of training we have just had and the mentality of the team, for me we are going to become a good team.
"There is a lot there and the response of the players has been good. But for 90 minutes we need to be sharper and fitter.
"I think we can be better. We are just scratching the surface."
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STV is to host a live television debate with the leaders of the four main political parties in Scotland in the run-up to the General Election.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson will take questions.
They will be alongside Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale and Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie for the political special on 24 May.
It will be hosted by STV's political editor Bernard Ponsonby.
The Scottish Greens have criticised the decision to leave them out of the debate, pointing out that they have more MSPs and members than the Liberal Democrats.
A spokesman said: "STV froze us out of their general election debate in 2015 but doing so two years later after so much has changed in Scottish politics is simply bizarre.
"The lack of balance given the ongoing constitutional question is extraordinary. The Green MSPs' prominent role in Scottish politics is certain to feature in the debate, so it's completely unacceptable that we won't be there to address references to us.
"We hope STV see sense and put on a fair debate, which we'd be delighted to take part in."
However, a spokesman for STV said: "Under the Ofcom code, STV is required to consider historical election performance and our editorial decision is to include the leaders of the four largest parties in Scotland in its debate."
The broadcast will come from the Tramway theatre in Glasgow and take place in front of an audience of 150 comprising a representative sample of the Scottish electorate.
Gordon Macmillan, STV's head of news, said: "This is an exciting time in Scottish and UK politics, and we've rarely seen public political engagement so high.
"STV's debate will give members of the audience an opportunity to put their questions to the leaders of the four main political parties and the leaders will also cross-examine each other.
"We hope viewers tune in for an engaging debate about the key political issues in Scotland today."


Non-league side Eastleigh came within minutes of upsetting Bolton as their FA Cup third-round tie ended all-square.

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Darren Pratley spared bottom-of-the-Championship Bolton's blushes when he pounced on a loose ball in the area to equalise three minutes from time.
Eastleigh - the lowest ranked team left in the cup - led through a Dorian Dervite own goal just after half-time.
The centre-back turned Jai Reason's dangerous cross past his own goalkeeper as an upset looked on.
Reaction to Saturday's FA Cup third-round games
The game in Hampshire survived three pitch inspections before finally going ahead.
A crowd of more than 5,000 squeezed into the ground just a short walk from Southampton Airport and almost saw the home side reach the fourth round for the first time in their 70-year history.
Bolton, dogged by financial problems, brought 1,000 of their own supporters, who nearly had a wasted journey.
Bolton survived a tricky start as Eastleigh striker Yemi Odubade caused problems down the flanks and through the middle.
After the Spitfires took the lead, they came within inches of doubling it 14 minutes from time when Andy Drury's goal-bound shot was scrambled off the line by David Wheater.
Pratley looked Bolton's most dangerous threat in attack and was denied in each half by fine saves from home keeper Ross Flitney before eventually firing home unmarked from Liam Feeney's corner.
And though the Trotters escaped with a replay, they will have to battle past a dogged Eastleigh if they are to come close to matching their 2011 run to the semi-finals.
The game was only given the go-ahead 90 minutes before kick-off.
Referee Iain Williamson deliberated with both managers before giving the match the green light.
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Following the postponement of Eastleigh's National League game against Bromley last weekend and a week of heavy showers, a round-the-clock effort from ground staff and volunteers kept the surface just dry enough.
Bolton manager Neil Lennon delayed naming his side until the pitch was finally declared fit.
And, after the game, it was announced that Bolton had accepted bids for striker Zach Clough and defender Mark Davies, both of whom were excluded.
Conditions failed to improve when the game did eventually start.
Large areas of the surface immediately cut up, puddles formed in some quarters and both goalkeepers looked uncertain when clearing their lines.
Eastleigh keeper Flitney nearly opened the scoring in bizarre fashion when his long clearance bounced off a rare dry patch and almost lobbed his opposite number Ben Amos.
Rain started to fall moments before kick-off and continued throughout the first half.
But, the showers ceased during the interval, just in time for the hosts to take the lead through Dervite's error.
Eastleigh manager Chris Todd told BBC Radio Solent: "The players put absolutely everything into it and they've given a performance that deserved a win.
"The scenes when we took the lead were incredible. It's something we've never seen before, but it just goes to show what could happen if we achieve what we want to as a football club.
"They won't be too keen on us coming to their place as we've shown how good we can be and the problems we can cause them and it's going to be an interesting game when the return comes."
Bolton manager Neil Lennon: "I wasn't overly happy with the pitch, one of the worst pitches I have ever seen, but we travelled.
"The referee did say that if it rained he would call it off but I didn't really fancy coming back so thankfully the game went ahead.
"The pitch was a huge problem with how the game panned out. The pitch is a leveller, they played very well, this is their big day."
Match ends, Eastleigh 1, Bolton Wanderers 1.
Second Half ends, Eastleigh 1, Bolton Wanderers 1.
Corner,  Bolton Wanderers. Conceded by Josh Payne.
Corner,  Bolton Wanderers. Conceded by Paul Reid.
Shola Ameobi (Bolton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Paul Reid (Eastleigh).
Jai Reason (Eastleigh) is shown the yellow card.
Kaiyne Woolery (Bolton Wanderers) is shown the yellow card.
Ross Flitney (Eastleigh) is shown the yellow card.
Goal!  Eastleigh 1, Bolton Wanderers 1. Darren Pratley (Bolton Wanderers) right footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Rob Holding following a corner.
Corner,  Bolton Wanderers. Conceded by Dan Harding.
Substitution, Bolton Wanderers. Kaiyne Woolery replaces Gary Madine.
Substitution, Bolton Wanderers. Liam Trotter replaces Neil Danns.
Offside, Bolton Wanderers. Wellington tries a through ball, but Shola Ameobi is caught offside.
Gary Madine (Bolton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Will Evans (Eastleigh).
Attempt missed. Josh Payne (Eastleigh) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Jai Reason with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Eastleigh. Conceded by David Wheater.
Back pass by Ben Amos (Bolton Wanderers).
(Eastleigh) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Darren Pratley (Bolton Wanderers).
Jai Reason (Eastleigh) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match  (Bolton Wanderers).
Attempt saved. Andy Drury (Eastleigh) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Kaid Mohamed.
Corner,  Bolton Wanderers. Conceded by Paul Reid.
Corner,  Bolton Wanderers. Conceded by Joe Partington.
Corner,  Bolton Wanderers. Conceded by Will Evans.
Corner,  Bolton Wanderers. Conceded by Will Evans.
Dean Moxey (Bolton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Joe Partington (Eastleigh).
Offside, Eastleigh. Josh Payne tries a through ball, but James Constable is caught offside.
Attempt saved. Dean Moxey (Bolton Wanderers) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Darren Pratley.
Substitution, Bolton Wanderers. Shola Ameobi replaces Josh Vela.
Gary Madine (Bolton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Will Evans (Eastleigh).
Wellington (Bolton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ben Strevens (Eastleigh).
Corner,  Eastleigh. Conceded by David Wheater.
Attempt saved. Josh Payne (Eastleigh) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.


Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has said he has agreed a contract extension "in principle".

The Blades manager led the team to the League One title last season, having guided Northampton Town to the League Two title in 2015-16.
Wilder, who had two years remaining on his deal, had been linked with managerless Sunderland.
"I'm delighted and proud to manage this football club," he told BBC Radio Sheffield.
"There's been talks right from the end of last season and I think we've agreed a deal in principle to extend my contract by another year.
"I had two years left so it was up to the owners to come to me and fair play they have done - and I've been comfortable with how it's been handled.
"Everyone knows my affection for this football club and I am ambitious and I want to achieve all my ambitions here."
The Blades have added four players so far this summer as they prepare for their first season back in the Championship after six seasons in the third tier.
Wilder said the club are also hoping to secure moves for Charlton midfielder Ricky Holmes and Southend midfielder Ryan Leonard.
"I think it's common knowledge we have bids out for Ricky and Ryan, but we understand that these deals don't always get completed," he said.
"Some players you get in quickly and it's easy and some take a bit of time. You can reach a point where you have to move on.
"We want players in quickly but sometimes you have to be patient. Some of the best business we did last year was in August."


More than 70 years after serving in World War Two, American female pilots have finally won the right to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

The cemetery is where US presidents, honoured military personnel and national heroes are buried.
President Barack Obama has recently signed a law that allows the pilots from the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) to buried in the famous cemetery.
This is not the first battle they have won in their fight for recognition.
When they served as pilots during World War Two, they were considered civilians. They flew non-combat missions in the US but were trained like their male counterparts, lived in Army barracks and flew military aircraft.
Thirty-eight women died during that time and as civilians they weren't entitled to be buried with the US flag on the coffin or any benefits for their families after their deaths.
When the Army no longer needed their help in 1944 they were sent home, having to pay their own way back, without any honours and without the status of veterans.
Nell Bright, who is 94 years old, joined up in May 1943. She said they were told if the WASP programme was successful they would be given the status as veterans. But the move was defeated in Congress.
She said: "We were not very happy about it."
That unhappiness turned into something stronger in the 1970s when the Army bragged about allowing women to fly military aircraft for the first time. Nell Bright said it was the spark that set off the campaign for recognition.
It took a few years and culminated in President Jimmy Carter signing legislation to treat them as veterans in 1977 - including burial rights in Arlington Cemetery.
On 21 April, one of the women involved in the 1970s campaign for recognition passed away. Elaine Danforth Harmon wanted to be buried in Arlington Cemetery, but when her family applied they were rejected.
It turned out the Army had changed their minds and the women could no longer be buried in the famous cemetery. Specifically it was the then Secretary of the Army John McHugh who made the ruling, which Nell Bright said was done "behind closed doors."
There are some pilots from the WASP group buried in Arlington National Cemetery, as they were eligible at the time of their deaths. Others have been buried alongside their husbands, not in their own right, but as the spouses of their veteran husbands.
Elaine Danforth Harmon's granddaughter Erin Miller said apart from a technicality no real reason for the sudden change was given.
She said: "I felt the policy change was unjustified."
Along with her sisters, the family felt they needed to challenge that decision, so they started a petition on change.org which received over 170,000 supporters.
It was picked up by Republican Representative Martha McSally, who before entering politics served in the US Air Force and was a combat fighter pilot and commanded a fighter squadron.
Responding to the news of the Women Airforce Service Pilots Arlington Inurnment (WASP AIR) Act being passed by Congress she said: "It's been just 19 weeks since the Army's decision to kick out our pioneering female World War II pilots was brought to light, and we've been fighting ever since."
The process was a frustrating experience for the Miller family but knowing the law has been enacted is exciting for Erin Miller. To celebrate she got a tattoo with the bill's number on her arm, despite her sister calling it crazy.
She's hoping their application to bury their grandmother might be fast-tracked, but is aware it could take another few months to see if they are successful.
At the moment the ashes of Elaine Danforth Harmon are being kept in a closet in their home.
"Nobody should have to ask Congress to bury their grandmother" she said.
Not all the families of the pilots or even the pilots themselves who are still alive wanted to be buried in Arlington.
Nell Bright said: "I don't particularly care where I'm buried, but it's the principle, and many of the women do want to."


An Australian cattle worker whose thumb was severed by a bull has had his toe surgically transplanted in its position.

Zac Mitchell, 20, was injured in April while working on a remote farming property in Western Australia.
"A bull kicked my hand into the fence," Mr Mitchell said of the incident.
He underwent two unsuccessful operations to reattach his thumb before doctors opted to relocate his big toe in surgery lasting eight hours.
Mr Mitchell said fellow workers had attempted to preserve his thumb immediately after the accident.
"They put it in the esky [cooler] with some ice," he told the BBC.
Mr Mitchell was flown to hospital in the state capital of Perth, but efforts to save his thumb ultimately failed.
Despite initial reluctance, the cattle worker agreed to the transplant operation at the Sydney Eye Hospital two weeks ago.
Lead plastic surgeon Dr Sean Nicklin said he was not surprised it took time to accept.
"It is a bit of a crazy idea - they [patients] do not want to be injured in another part of their body," he said.
"[However] even if you have got four good fingers, if you do not have something to pinch against them, your hand has lost a huge amount of its function."
Mr Mitchell will need more than 12 months of rehabilitation, but he plans to return to farm work.
The Sydney Eye Hospital said it was rare to transplant a complete toe, like in Mr Mitchell's case, although partial toe relocations were more common.
"A lot of people think their balance and walking is going to be significantly affected which it generally isn't," Dr Nicklin said.
Mr Mitchell's mum, Karen, said he was making a good recovery.
"Two weeks since the operation his walking is almost back to normal."
Doctors say Mr Mitchell should eventually be able to return to his hobby of bull riding.
Reporting by the BBC's Greg Dunlop


The Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant is "not essential" for the UK to meet its energy and climate change targets, according to a think tank.

The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) also said opting for "established" approaches instead would save bill payers £1bn a year in total.
EDF Energy, which has agreed to back Hinkley, said the ECIU report did not offer "credible alternatives".
The government is due to make a final decision on Hinkley in the autumn.
French firm EDF, which is financing most of the £18bn Hinkley Point project in Somerset, approved the investment at a board meeting last month.
However, the government, under new Prime Minister Theresa May, then made the surprise announcement that it wanted to delay its final decision on the project so it could carry out a review.
One of the report's authors, former Npower chief executive, Paul Massara - who now runs North Star Solar - said: "You are looking at a deal which is two and half times the current price, it goes on for 35 years and effectively this report today shows we can transition to a low carbon, affordable secure option without Hinkley and that's what we should be doing."
Mr Massara said a more "flexible" cost saving approach was needed that "includes things like demand-side management, which means people can turn down their electricity demand and manage their demand, with smart meters and batteries which are going to come in the next five to six years".
If it goes ahead, it is forecast Hinkley Point C would deliver 7% of the UK's electricity. The low-carbon electricity it would generate would help towards achieving climate goals.
However, the government has guaranteed EDF a fixed price for the electricity it produces for 35 years. That fixed price is £92.50 per megawatt hour - nearly double  the current rate.
That is expected to push up energy bills for consumers in the long run.
The government used one method to calculate it, which could add about £10 a year to each household's bill, although some other calculations have suggested it could be more.
In its report, the not-for-profit ECIU made the assumption that "the total annual cost of Hinkley will probably be about £2.5bn".
It then calculated the cost of a basket of alternative measures to meet the country's energy and climate change targets, and concluded that bill payers, both domestic and business, would end up paying a total of £1bn less per year for their energy if they were adopted than if Hinkley C were built.
The think tank's alternative proposals include building more wind farms and gas-fired power stations than are currently planned and laying more cables connecting the UK grid with other countries.
"Our conclusion is that [Hinkley Point's] not essential," said ECIU director, Richard Black.
"Using tried and tested technologies, with nothing unproven or futuristic, Britain can meet all its targets and do so at lower cost," he added.
However, EDF said while all approaches put forward by the ECIU would be included in the ideal future energy mix, large scale nuclear generation would also be part of it.
"The scenarios outlined in the ECIU report are not credible alternatives to Hinkley Point C," the company added.
"Hinkley Point C's cost is competitive with other large-scale low carbon technologies. It will generate electricity steadily even on foggy and still winter days across Northern Europe. It will play a crucial role as part of a future, flexible energy stream."
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said in  a statement:  "Our priority is to ensure that everyone has secure, clean and affordable energy now and in the future. This is why we want the UK to have a diverse and reliable mix of energy sources including nuclear, renewable energy and gas."


A secret internment camp for former Islamic State militants and their families has been established in Syria.

Some 300 defectors and captured combatants, including many Europeans, are being held at the camp operated by the rebel group Jaysh al-Tahrir.
Its commander, Mohammad al-Ghabi, told the BBC: "We tried to rehabilitate them and alter their state of minds."
"Those who wished to return home were allowed to call their embassies and co-ordinate with them through us."
Among the group are French, Dutch and Polish nationals, as well as foreign fighters from North Africa and across the Middle East and Central Asia.
The men, women and children are being held in a village in rural northern Syria.
Mr Ghabi said the numbers were growing as IS collapsed, thanks to a Turkish-supported rebel offensive against the group in northern Syria called "Operation Euphrates Shield".
"IS has been falling apart for the past seven or eight months, according to the defectors we spoke to. However, Operation Euphrates Shield further degraded IS and led to its dismemberment following the rapid advances of our forces," he added.
A BBC team was unable to visit the camp, but obtained material from inside. It has basic facilities and the prisoners there say they are being well cared for, but many want to leave.
One former IS fighter there goes by the name of Abu Sumail.
He travelled from his native Netherlands two years ago, going first to Belgium, then to Gaziantep in Turkey. He said he disguised himself as a "party guy" on holiday, to avoid detection by the intelligence services.
But getting into Syria was much easier than leaving.
Speaking of his disappointment with life inside IS-held territory, he said: "They treat us very bad, especially people from another country.
"It's very hard for us to live there - it's not our lifestyle because we are used to a lot of things and then we come there and they directly start to treat you hard.
"You give your life to them, so they are going to start to take control of your life. They use you for bad stuff."
The BBC has also learned that an underground railroad is being created in Syria, with other rebel groups and British and European intelligence services, to find, capture and return IS supporters.
Inside the Syrian city of Raqqa, the de facto IS capital, fighters have begun to send videos and personal statements to rebel groups, in the hope of escaping with their families.
At least half a dozen foreign fighters have made it out already, and are facing imprisonment back in Europe, according to rebel groups.
Mr Ghabi said that not everyone would be allowed to leave.
"Those who didn't want to go back or had committed crimes are being referred to a Sharia court, which rules by [Islamic] law and punishes according to the gravity of crime committed."
Some could be executed, he warned, and added that the window of opportunity for defectors to cross to the rebels was closing fast, as IS continues to lose territory and its proto-state crumbles.


Michael Carrick is set to be given a one-year contract extension by Manchester United.

The 35-year-old midfielder is coming to the end of his 11th season at the club and has a testimonial on 4 June.
Contract talks have progressed well, and confidence has been expressed on both sides that an extension to his existing deal, which expires on 30 June, will reach a positive conclusion.
Carrick joined United from Tottenham in an £18.6m deal in 2006.
He has made 457 appearances in all competitions, putting him 17th on United's all-time list, and scored 24 goals.
The former England international has won five Premier League titles, the Champions League, an FA Cup and two League Cups during his time at Old Trafford.


A stunning last-minute strike from substitute Nicky Clark took Rangers into the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup at Kilmarnock's expense.

Media playback is not supported on this device
Martyn Waghorn's early penalty was cancelled out by a fine Rory McKenzie strike in the pouring rain.
Rangers dominance finally paid off just as the game was heading to extra time when Clark fired in at the near post.
Victory over the Premiership side gives the Championship leaders a home tie against Dundee or Dumbarton.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Given their impressive 2-0 league win over Motherwell and the appointment of new manager Lee Clark, the home side had good reason to go into the game with confidence.
The 13,179 who braved the weather huddled under the Rugby Park stands as the incessant wind and rain lashed the players, but the Rangers supporters were on their feet after only two minutes.
Stuart Findlay brought down the advancing Waghorn just inside the box and referee Bobby Madden immediately pointed to the spot.
The Englishman looked to be struggling after the challenge, but he stepped up to send Jamie MacDonald the wrong way before his game was over and Clark replaced him.
The question was how would the home side respond.
The answer came four minutes later, when McKenzie found some space just inside the Rangers box and fired the ball low past goalkeeper Wes Foderingham to level.
A stunning strike and a stunning start to this cup tie despite the rain's best efforts to dampen the occasion.
With tails well and truly up, Kilmarnock went looking for another and they probably should have taken the lead through Josh Magennis.
The Irishman caught Dominic Ball in possession and raced through on goal, but just as he prepared to shoot, Rob Kiernan slid in with a timely intervention to clear the danger.
After that, the game settled down and both sides traded blow after blow as the match swung from end to end.
Craig Slater forced a good save from Foderingham from distance and, at the other end, Kenny Miller pulled his shot just wide from eight yards.
The visitors started the second half with tremendous energy and intent, with Barrie McKay and James Tavernier both coming close.
McKay's fizzing volley flew just wide and Tavernier's long-range effort forced a good save from MacDonald.
As Rangers piled forward in numbers, they were leaving gaps at the back and Tope Obadeyi was finding space on the left, but despite some good runs, the Kilmarnock attacks were coming to nothing.
Rangers claims for a penalty on the hour also came to nothing. Lee Ashcroft looked to hold Kenny Miller back inside the box, but referee Bobby Madden was not interested despite the howls from the Rangers fans behind the goal.
What followed was a period of intense Rangers pressure as the Kilmarnock defence continued to bounce off the ropes.
Just as it looked like they would hold on for extra time, the killer blow came courtesy of Clark.
He bulleted the ball in at the near post after an inch-perfect corner from McKay to send Kilmarnock out of the cup.
Match ends, Kilmarnock 1, Rangers 2.
Second Half ends, Kilmarnock 1, Rangers 2.
Craig Slater (Kilmarnock) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Harry Forrester (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Stuart Findlay (Kilmarnock).
Nicky Clark (Rangers) is shown the yellow card for excessive celebration.
Goal!  Kilmarnock 1, Rangers 2. Nicky Clark (Rangers) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Barrie McKay with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Rangers. Conceded by Gary Dicker.
Attempt blocked. Harry Forrester (Rangers) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Jason Holt (Rangers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Adam Frizzell (Kilmarnock).
Andy Halliday (Rangers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Josh Magennis (Kilmarnock).
Corner,  Rangers. Conceded by Stuart Findlay.
Attempt blocked. Lee Wallace (Rangers) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Harry Forrester (Rangers).
Rory McKenzie (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick on the right wing.
James Tavernier (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Adam Frizzell (Kilmarnock).
Substitution, Kilmarnock. Adam Frizzell replaces Tope Obadeyi.
Andy Halliday (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Greg Kiltie (Kilmarnock).
Attempt saved. Harry Forrester (Rangers) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Attempt blocked. Lee Wallace (Rangers) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Foul by Harry Forrester (Rangers).
Stuart Findlay (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt blocked. Barrie McKay (Rangers) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Hand ball by Danny Wilson (Rangers).
Corner,  Rangers. Conceded by Lee Hodson.
Substitution, Rangers. Harry Forrester replaces Kenny Miller.
Greg Kiltie (Kilmarnock) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Greg Kiltie (Kilmarnock).
Jason Holt (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Dean Shiels (Rangers) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Foul by Jason Holt (Rangers).
Rory McKenzie (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Corner,  Rangers. Conceded by Jamie MacDonald.
Attempt saved. Jason Holt (Rangers) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner.
Attempt blocked. Josh Magennis (Kilmarnock) header from the centre of the box is blocked.
Foul by Barrie McKay (Rangers).


Facebook has restored access to its website after a 40-minute outage on Monday, the second time in a week that the site has gone down.

Users saw an error message that read "Sorry, something went wrong. We're working on it and we'll get it fixed as soon as we can."
Company shares were down nearly 4% at $89.25 (Â£58.83) shortly after the site went down. It also crashed on Thursday.
The social networking site is used by nearly 1.5 billion people worldwide.
All right, all right - the world is still spinning. But Facebook going down twice, in a relatively short timeframe, can be fairly significant. It moves markets - Facebook share price is down almost 4% as I write this.
The company's status page detailed a "major outage" on Monday, but things were soon back to normal.
A quick post-mortem, posted by an engineer at the company, said the problem was with its Graph API. In simplest terms, the "graph" is the term Facebook uses to describe the core of Facebook's system. Posts, photos, statuses are all connected to people, groups and pages via the Graph - and that's what failed.
Sometimes Facebook downtime can also affect other companies that tap into Facebook's data - like Tinder, for example.
The last time this happened, Facebook admitted it was something its own engineers had caused by tinkering. That's likely the case again here, but twice in a week will be a little frustrating for both users and shareholders.
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People took to Twitter to lament and poke fun at the situation.
The Kingston police force in London pre-empted emergency cold turkey calls, with tongue firmly in cheek.
Sites that monitor disruptions said North America was particularly badly affected this time.
"We are currently restoring Facebook services that people had trouble accessing earlier today due to a configuration," said a Facebook spokesman.
Some users took to speculating about the cause.
Others sarcastically bid the site good riddance.
And some enjoyed underlining that Facebook's loss was Twitter's gain.


The operator of airports at Stornoway and Campbeltown has said it is open to the idea of either site being developed as a UK spaceport.

Highlands and Islands Airport Limited said it did not have the resources to take on the project itself.
But Hial's chairman Grenville Johnson added that the company would probably offer what help it could to an organisation that could fund it.
Stornoway and Campbeltown are on a list of possible spaceport locations.
Mr Johnson said: "If someone comes along and says that they would like to look at Stornoway and discuss it with us then of course we will do that."
He said any discussions would have to have the blessing of the Scottish government which owns Hial.
Mr Johnson added: "What we are saying is that we simply don't have the resources to do this, but we are there to help."
The UK government issued a shortlist of aerodromes that could host a UK spaceport on Tuesday.
The list reduced the number of runways first suggested as candidates when last year's consultation got under way.
Still in are Campbeltown, Glasgow Prestwick, and Stornoway in Scotland; Newquay in England and Llanbedr in Wales. RAF Leuchars was confirmed as a potential temporary facility.
RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss Barracks in Scotland were ruled out. The decision was made for operational defence reasons, the government said.
Ministers are keen to see the spaceport established by 2018.
The emphasis will be on the expected emergence of a new breed of low-cost rocket planes that can launch fare-paying passengers to sub-orbital altitudes and also satellites into orbit.
Most of potential vehicles are still quite some time away from flying.
But ministers believe that if the UK gets its act together now, the nation can catch the first wave when it arrives.
Precisely where the British spaceport would be sited will depend on a number of factors, but the overriding imperative of the licensing authorities will be to find a location that limits danger and inconvenience to the general public.


England women's hockey head coach Danny Kerry suffered a heart attack during this month's World League Semi-Final, England Hockey has revealed.

Kerry, who led Great Britain's women to gold at the 2016 Olympics, was taken ill on 15 July in South Africa.
The 46-year-old has been receiving treatment in hospital in Johannesburg and is set to return to England "for a further period of rest and recovery".
Kerry is expected to return to work in September.
England took bronze at the World League Semi-Final with a 5-2 win over Argentina in Johannesburg at the weekend.
Kerry was absent through illness, having missed his side's final two group games.
"Danny's health has remained our sole and absolute priority," said England Hockey performance director Ed Barney.
"We wish him the very best over the coming weeks as he continues his recovery."
Kerry has overseen the most successful era in the history of the England and Great Britain women's teams.
He led them to the 2012 Olympic bronze medal - the nation's first Olympic hockey medal in 20 years - and to the World Cup bronze medal, two Commonwealth Games medals, four European Championship medals and two Champions Trophy medals.
Under Kerry, Great Britain won a first Olympic hockey gold medal by beating defending champions the Netherlands in Rio two years ago.
Kerry expressed his "huge thanks and debt of gratitude" to the doctors who treated him in South Africa, and to England team doctor Cath Lester.
He added: "I would also like to convey how proud I am of how both players and staff continued through the tournament in such a professional manner, particularly during the Saturday I was admitted."


Women should regard wolf-whistling as a compliment, Joanna Lumley has said.

In an interview with the Daily Mirror, she said wolf-whistlers were saying: "Cor, you look all right darlin'." Ms Lumley added: "What's wrong with that?"
The 70-year-old - an actor, presenter, campaigner, and former model - claimed people had become "sensitive flowers" who were "very offended by everything".
In July, Nottinghamshire Police said wolf-whistling could be a hate crime.
In the interview, Ms Lumley said people had been "tougher" in the 1960s.
"When I was modelling, photographers were much ruder," she said.
"They'd say: 'You look frightful, what's the matter with you?', 'You look podgy, you look fat as a pig.'
"It was good-natured banter. You kind of got on with it, it didn't upset you."
Last month, Nottinghamshire Police said they had recorded 11 misogynistic hate crimes since April, which covers offences including harassment, kidnapping, possession of weapons and causing public fear, alarm or distress.
There were also 19 misogynistic "hate incidents", which cover behaviour less serious than a criminal act such as name calling and offensive jokes.
In Worcester in April, a 23-year-old woman reported wolf-whistling builders to the police.
The police said it was a matter for the men's employers. A builder involved called the wolf-whistling "a bit of banter".
Ms Lumley was unavailable for comment when contacted by the BBC on Wednesday.


Scrabo Tower, one of Northern Ireland's most iconic landmarks, has been closed to the public.

The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) said the tower, near Newtownards, County Down, would be closed for the "foreseeable future".
A spokesperson said water had damaged the tower's electrical supply and lighting.
The tower was built in 1857 as a memorial to Charles Stewart, third Marquess of Londonderry.
The tower is a popular tourist attraction, with visitors able to climb 122 steps to its summit.
However, the NIEA said they have been forced to close the tower due to repeated water damage to the electrical system.
A spokesperson said: "The NIEA has, very reluctantly, decided not to routinely open Scrabo Tower to the public for the foreseeable future.
"Its exposed location makes the tower very vulnerable to wet and windy weather.
"The Department of Environment has carried out works costing hundreds of thousands of pounds over the last 30 years.
"Despite this, the tower continues to suffer serious water ingress.
"For the second time in five years, this has damaged the electrical supply and lighting.
"Without lighting, the safety of visitors would be compromised."
The NIEA said they are seeking specialist advice on weatherproofing the tower and replacing the lighting supply.
The agency also said the tower may open for special occasions if it is considered safe.


Dagenham & Redbridge are up to third in the National League after Luke Guttridge's goal gave them a victory at Maidstone.

Corey Whitely fired over in the early stages and although Maidstone twice came close, with Jamar Loza's shot narrowly missing the target and Alex Flisher's free-kick well saved by goalkeeper Elliot Justham, the visitors went ahead.
Whitely was the provider, finding Guttridge in the area to slot past Maidstone goalkeeper Lee Worgan.
Justham again had to come to the Daggers' rescue either side of half-time to first deny Jack Paxman's low strike then Loza, who went through on goal.
The crossbar denied on-loan striker Jordan Maguire-Drew as Dagenham sought to double their lead but they claimed all three points to hand Maidstone a fourth defeat in a row in all competitions.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Maidstone United 0, Dagenham and Redbridge 1.
Second Half ends, Maidstone United 0, Dagenham and Redbridge 1.
Substitution, Maidstone United. Liam Enver-Marum replaces Bobby-Joe Taylor.
Substitution, Maidstone United. Bradley Hudson-Odoi replaces Jamar Loza.
Substitution, Maidstone United. Yemi Odubade replaces James Rogers.
Second Half begins Maidstone United 0, Dagenham and Redbridge 1.
Substitution, Dagenham and Redbridge. Paul Benson replaces Scott Doe.
First Half ends, Maidstone United 0, Dagenham and Redbridge 1.
Alex Flisher (Maidstone United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Andre Boucaud (Dagenham and Redbridge) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Jamar Loza (Maidstone United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Goal!  Maidstone United 0, Dagenham and Redbridge 1. Luke Guttridge (Dagenham and Redbridge).
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.


Glasgow's Gurdwara will officially open its doors later, after 10 years of planning and a further six years of construction.

The Sikh place of worship is the largest in Scotland - and is thought to be one of the largest faith buildings of any kind in the country.
There are 20,000 Sikhs in Scotland, most of them in the Glasgow area.
Among those attending the official opening will be First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Almost all the materials used in construction were imported from India and the project cost about Â£8m.
The building accommodates classrooms, a library, office and a ceremonial pool.
It will be made available to the general public when it is not needed for worship.


In the second part of this series about ethical hackers, the BBC gets a glimpse of some of the tricks these skilled researchers use to test cyber-defences.

There are few jobs in which you can get away with copying techniques and tricks used by criminals, but being a professional "penetration tester" is one such trade.
Penetration testers are ethical hackers who by both reasonable and unreasonable methods try to defeat the digital defences set up by companies to keep out spammers, scammers and other cyber-villains.
The BBC was given a demonstration of some of the tricks and techniques used by the so-called "pen testers" by professionals from security firm Sentor and Trustwave's SpiderLabs.
Kalle Zetterlund from Sentor said pen testers were generally trying to persuade someone inside a company to make a mistake that, inadvertently, would let them in.
Sometimes, he said, this mistake could be as simple as choosing a weak password, such as password01, which is easily found by a computer that can make thousands of guesses every second.
However, he said, there was a whole host of other errors people made that, at first glance, looked innocuous but could prove dangerous.
One technique developed by the Sentor researchers exploits "water-holing" ie targeting the places where employees gather outside work.
Ideas for targets can be gleaned from social media where people regularly betray details about what they do in their spare time and where online they talk about it.
The websites and discussion forums they mention in connection with a sport or hobby rarely have decent digital defences, said Mr Zetterlund.
Some of those sites permit what is known as cross-site scripting which, in effect, lets an attacker run their own code on that web location. That can make it easy to booby-trap messages on a forum and trap the real target.
Others did a poor job of protecting the code behind a site or forum and inspecting that often yielded clues about vulnerabilities to which it might be susceptible.
Another route can be the weak algorithms used to generate random numbers as a "seed" for a password.
"It's a fairly common mistake," said Mr Zetterlund. "And even those that use proper random number generators get so little input  that you can use that to guess them."
A site could be taken over using these weaknesses allowing an attacker, or ethical hacker, to start seeding chat forums with malicious messages or simply booby-trapping the site itself.
These traps work best when people do not keep Java and Adobe programs up to date.
One attack developed by Sentor's Bjorn Johansson strikes when an innocuous message is simply viewed on a compromised forum. If a machine running an old version of Java visits, it risks falling victim to the instructions contained in computer code added after the words in the subject line. Mr Johansson's code snippet opens up a connection directly to a target machine.
"I can do anything you can do sitting in front of your computer," said Mr Johansson who then turned on the webcam on the compromised machine to spy on its owner.
Given such access, scooping up login details for a corporate network or stealing documents would be trivial, he said.
Not all techniques depend on compromising a site, others work with spoofed emails sent to a few people inside a target company.
To make these look convincing, said Michele Orru, senior security consultant at Trustwave's SpiderLabs, pen testers might send a legitimate query to a company to generate a formal response. The resulting automatically generated message would have all the images and other details needed to make a spoof look authentic.
If this were coupled with a fake webpage that posed as a company's webmail gateway it could be a powerful way to trick people into handing over login details. Even if people spotted that the fake webmail page was an attempt to trick them, they could fall victim to a separate attack developed by Mr Orru that strikes when they visit the page.
"As soon as they land on our page we can see a list of information about them," said Mr Orru. That list is generated by quizzing a computer about what software it is running. That could betray known vulnerabilities that ethical attackers can capitalise on.
In addition, the attack tool created by Mr Orru can generate fake prompts which ask a victim for login details to websites and social media networks. Anything a victim types into those fake login boxes can be grabbed by the attacker and used to steal further information.
"We rely on social engineering or tricks to make people click on something and do something on our behalf," he said.
But not all penetration testing relies on technical knowledge. Some is much more brazen and involves testers using more physical methods to try out security.
These techniques include scattering booby-trapped USB drives in a company car park or leaving CDs in receptions which have "payroll" or some other trigger word written on them. Few can resist slotting them in a drive to see what they contain. Once they do, the code on the gadget springs to life and gives the attacker access.
Christian Angerbjorn, who carried out security testing for one of the UK's high-street banks, said he regularly documented how far he got inside a building using an iPhone in a Starbucks cup that had its camera peeping through a hole in the side.
Typically, he said, physical pen testers have a particular location in mind when they target a building. Reaching the IT director's desk unchallenged is usually enough to make the point, he said.
Other physical pen testers say getting past reception areas can often be accomplished by taking off your jacket, rolling up your sleeves and carrying a big box.
Sometimes, though, a pen tester just has to be lucky. Mr Angerbjorn remembered one job which involved him and his team being asked to get inside a large hosting facility in America. On day one of the assignment they turned up en masse to carry out reconnaissance and wondered just how they would get in to such a tightly monitored building.
As they watched, an alarm sounded and staff poured out of the building as a fire alarm test was carried out. The team bundled out of their car and tailgated their way inside. Job done.
Said Mr Angerbjorn: "My only thought was, 'What are we going to do for the rest of the week?'"


Tributes are being paid to a Nigerian army commander nicknamed "war king" after he was killed by Islamist militants Boko Haram.

The militants killed Lt Col Muhammad Abu-Ali on Friday.
The 36-year-old was one of five soldiers killed by Boko Haram fighters who attacked a military base in Mallam Fatori, northern Borno State.
Boko Haram has been fighting the Nigerian army in its quest for an Islamic state in northern Nigeria.
Africa Live: Updates on this and other news stories
What happened in Baga?
What Boko Haram left behind
Who are Boko Haram?
Col Abu-Ali was nicknamed Sarkin Kaki, which is Hausa for war king, and was promoted rapidly through the ranks to Lieutenant Colonel after he was one of those who led the operation to re-take the town of Baga from Boko Haram.
Hundreds of people were massacred by Boko Haram in Baga in January 2015 when the army ran away from the town in what was regarded as the worst attack of Boko Haram's insurgency.
But in February of that year the army retook the town.
In early 2015, Boko Haram controlled much of Borno State but it has now been pushed out of most of these areas.
A journalist who reported from the area at the height of the insurgency wrote that he couldn't stop crying at the news of Col Abu-Ali's death.
Hamza Idris called him a fallen hero whose life was full of gallantry:
"He came, he saw, he conquered and cleared the ruins for the next generation."
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari tweeted his tribute to the commander.
"No words can do justice to the patriotism and remarkable courage of these soldiers, who laid down their lives for Nigeria."
"I call on members of the Armed Forces to not allow this tragic incident dampen their spirits and resolve. Evil will not triumph over good," he added.


China’s Geely auto group has become the main sponsor behind the British Bloodhound supersonic car project.

The Asian company’s support means the jet-cum-rocket racer now has the financial means to go and break the land speed record next year.
Geely is the largest privately owned car manufacturer in China.
It is perhaps better known in the West as the owner of Volvo and the London Taxi Company, which makes “black cabs”.
Bloodhound aims to raise the current land speed record (763mph/1,228km/h) to 800mph (1290km/h) in October 2017.
The intention then is to make some alterations to the vehicle and raise the mark still further some 12 months later. The ultimate target is to go above 1,000mph (1,610km/h).
The driver will be Andy Green, who holds the current land speed record.
Geely - more properly known as the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group - will provide some engineering assistance to Bloodhound, as well promoting its STEM message across Asia.
The whole Bloodhound venture was started as a way to engage children in science subjects and skills.
Thousands of schools in the UK and across 10 countries have picked up this initiative, and are using model rocket cars to teach fundamental concepts, such as Newtonian laws. Geely wants to spread some of these educational ideas across China.
Ash Sutcliffe is the auto-maker's communications manager: "We will help push the Bloodhound story in China. We will send engineers over to the UK. Geely engineers will be very much involved in this project, working alongside the Bloodhound team. We want to take this story across China in the next few months."
Bloodhound had been in hibernation before the auto group’s intervention.
The supersonic car had largely been constructed but there was not enough cash to go racing on its specially prepared track in Northern Cape, South Africa.
That problem has now gone away with the single biggest sponsorship deal in the project’s eight-year history. All debts have been cleared and there is sufficient liquidity to carry the effort through to its next phase.
Bloodhound director Richard Noble said: "When Andy Green and I started this project we realised it was going to be a huge undertaking and it needed to be global. We had to find the right partners with the correct spirit and ambition, and we're delighted this dynamic, exciting business (Geely) has decided to join the team."
And Andy Green added: "We can now tell a partnership story of a global engineering adventure, not just in China but across Asia. We couldn't have done that before."
Engineers who took a “holiday” from the project during its hiatus are now coming back in.
The vehicle is presently at the Bloodhound technical centre in Bristol, being stripped down from its initial "dry build”, prior to being reassembled, with fluids, ready to start running.
A key task is to complete the development of the vehicle's rocket system.
Bloodhound will be using a Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine to get itself rolling and to reach speeds in the low hundreds (mph), but it will need a booster to take it through the sound barrier and on to 800mph.
The rocket itself is being sourced from the Nammo company in Norway, but it will use a Bloodhound-designed gearbox and oxidiser pump driven by a Jaguar V8.
Testing of these elements all operating together is just about to get under way.
"In July next year we will be down at Newquay (airport) to go 200mph," said chief engineer Mark Chapman. "That's for shakedown runs of the whole car. Then we go out to South Africa in September/October to go 800mph."
Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos


Ferrari have split with technical director James Allison in what the team say was a "joint decision".

The move comes three years after Allison rejoined Ferrari as part of a restructuring plan to improve the team's performance.
The first car designed under his control won three races in 2015, but Ferrari's revival has stalled this season, with no wins so far.
Mattia Binotto has been promoted to chief technical officer.
His previous role was as head of Formula 1 power-units.
Allison, 48, was also at Ferrari as head of aerodynamics during the dominant Michael Schumacher era of 2000 to 2004, before moving back to the Renault team, where he was deputy technical director when Fernando Alonso won consecutive titles in 2005 and 2006.
He is one of the most highly regarded engineering leaders in F1 and is likely to be of interest to a number of other teams.
He said in a statement issued by Ferrari: "During the years I spent at Ferrari, at two different stages and covering different roles, I could get to know and appreciate the value of the team and of the people, women and men, which are part of it.
"I want to thank them all for the great professional and human experience we shared. I wish everybody a happy future with lots of success."
Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene said: "The team would like to thank James for his commitment and sacrifice during the time spent together, and wishes him success and serenity for his future endeavours."
Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne has recently been conducting a review of the operational practices of the team, including consulting engineers on all levels, in an attempt to inject more creativity into the team.
This has included a restructuring of the internal workings of departments across Ferrari.
Allison's next destination is yet to be decided but his reputation is such that he would be of interest to most teams.
McLaren were keen to sign him at the start of 2013, but he ultimately turned them down to go back to Ferrari.
And the Enstone-based Renault team, where Allison has worked on three separate occasions, is undergoing a major rebuilding programme following the French company's buy-back of the operation from former owner Genii Capital, which ran it as Lotus from 2012-15.
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The government of Taiwan has given the Philippines until Wednesday to apologise for the death of a Taiwanese fisherman whose vessel was fired on by the Philippine coastguard.

Taiwan is also demanding compensation and the arrest of those responsible.
It has warned the Philippines of diplomatic and economic measures if it does not respond positively.
The Philippine coastguard acknowledged that it had fired at the boat to "disable" its machinery.
It says that it was acting in self-defence.
Fisherman Hung Shih-cheng, 65, was shot dead on Thursday when the coastguard vessel opened fire on his boat.
He was in waters south-east of Taiwan and north of the Philippines, an area considered by both countries to be their exclusive economic zone.
Hours after his remains and vessel were returned to Taiwan, the president's office and the foreign ministry issued a series of demands to the Philippines.
They asked for a formal apology, the speeding up of the investigation into his death, punishment of the perpetrators, the payment of compensation to the fisherman's family and talks over fishing rights in the disputed area.
Taiwan also threatened to send the Philippines' representative back to Manila if its neighbour does not respond within 72 hours.
The BBC's Cindy Sui in Taiwan says that while the Philippines' representative to Taiwan has expressed sympathy and condolences to the victim's family, the Philippines has refused to apologise, pending the investigation.
Officials in Manila have said that their initial findings suggest that the coast guard acted in self-defence and that fishing boat tried to ram into the coastguard vessel.
The three surviving fishermen on board the vessel, including Mr Hung's son and son-in-law, have disputed this account.
After inspecting the boat, Taiwanese officials also said they did not find this explanation credible as there were 52 bullet holes in the boat and the fishermen were unarmed.
"This is very brutal and cold-blooded," Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou said on Saturday, warning that his country would consider sanctions against the Philippines amid widespread public anger towards Manila over the shooting.
Taiwanese officials say that the coastguard chased the boat for some time and did not offer help to the distressed vessel after it was damaged by the shooting.
It argues that opening fire on an unarmed fishing boat violated international law.
Tens of thousands of Filipino migrant labourers work in Taiwan's manufacturing sectors and homes.


England missed out on a netball medal at Glasgow 2014 after losing 52-48 in their bronze match against Jamaica.

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Anna Mayes' England had to recover quickly from Saturday's one-point semi-final defeat by New Zealand, but found themselves 25-24 behind at half-time.
An enthralling third quarter finished with the scores level but Jamaica pulled ahead in the dying minutes and held on for the victory.
Australia claimed gold with a dominant 58-40 win over New Zealand.
The Diamonds have now won three Commonwealth titles - following on from successes in 1998 and 2002.
England looked despondent after their agonising late defeat against 2010 champions New Zealand, but had to pick themselves up to face the Jamaicans - in a replay of the Delhi bronze medal match.
Mayes' team made a quick start by turning over the first centre, and they went in 13-11 ahead after the first quarter.
But by the end of the first half, the lead had changed six times and it was Jamaica with the one-point advantage - thanks to a magnificent performance from 6ft 5in shooter Romelda Aiken.
The third quarter was a breathless end-to-end affair which ended 37-37, and England's attack of Joanne Harten and Kadeen Corbin looked unstoppable.
But as Jamaica crept ahead, England were unable to find the illusive turnover and Aiken kept her cool under the posts to secure Jamaica a medal - their first in the event since the 2002 Games in Manchester.
Mayes told BBC Sport after the final whistle: "We are absolutely gutted. I think the girls are better than the performance they put out today.
"It was a hard task to recover from the match against New Zealand and unfortunately we didn't play to our best, but credit to Jamaica.
"We will look closely at where we lost possession. I think we had opportunities to take the game and have to be more clinical, but the girls have given everything."


In announcing a broad review of Iran policy the Trump administration has not jettisoned the nuclear deal.

But Rex Tillerson has come pretty close to saying the agreement is not worth keeping, even though he's had to admit it's working.
This week the secretary of state informed congress that Tehran is keeping its side of the bargain to restrict its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions, which he's required to confirm every 90 days.
In spoken remarks, though, he talked only of Iran's bad behaviour and linked that to the future of the deal - a message that will resonate far more on Capitol Hill and to which it was probably aimed.
Former President Barack Obama would have agreed with all the charges: that Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism, that it supports proxies which undermine US interests in the region, that it's hostile to Israel and that its ballistic missile tests challenge UN Security Council prohibitions.
But Mr Obama kept those issues separate from the nuclear agreement, which would have been impossible to achieve without that narrow focus.
Mr Tillerson, on the other hand, called this a mistaken approach and said the review would take a comprehensive look at all of the threats posed by Iran.
He also gave the deal itself short shrift.
He said it delayed rather than blocked Iran's goal of becoming a nuclear state, ignoring arguments even by critics that it has reduced a significant security threat for now.
Iran, for its part, continues to deny it was ever trying to develop nuclear weapons.
And the secretary of state raised the stakes by bringing in comparisons to North Korea.
He dismissed the agreement as a short-term effort to "buy off a power who has nuclear ambitions" that would backfire in the long term, the kind of approach that he said failed with Pyongyang.
Indeed, "an unchecked Iran has the potential to travel the same path as North Korea," he said. "The Trump administration has no intention of passing the buck to a future administration on Iran."
That doesn't necessarily mean it will "tear up" the deal, which was agreed with five other world powers.
More likely, it would pursue the strictest enforcement possible, in particular by increasing pressure on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In parallel, there is growing bipartisan support in Congress for additional sanctions over Iran's ballistic missile programme, human rights violations and support for terrorist groups.
Such an approach might not violate the letter of US commitments but could still jeopardize the agreement.
Tehran would almost certainly accuse the Trump administration of non-compliance and might eventually decide to withdraw.


The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has defended a Parachute Regiment Facebook appeal asking former soldiers for information about a Troubles killing.

Bernard Watt, 28, was shot by the Army during disturbances in Ardoyne in Belfast in 1971.
In the post, the Parachute Regiment asked former members with any knowledge of the incident to get in touch.
Hundreds of Facebook users posted angry comments describing the appeal as a "witch hunt against ex-soldiers".
Of the killings being investigated by the PSNI's legacy branch, 530 were carried out by republicans, 271 by loyalists and 354 by the security forces.
It is not known who was responsible for the other 33 killings.
But an MoD spokesperson said they were co-operating with the coroner's process and must make all reasonable attempts to contact those who may have knowledge of a particular incident.
The appeal was posted last week, before a preliminary hearing of the inquest on Friday.
The PSNI's legacy branch is re-investigating 1,118 deaths not previously reviewed or completed by the now defunct Historical Enquiries Team (HET).
Solicitor Padraig O'Muirigh who represents the Watt family, said progress on the case, to date, had been "very disappointing".
"This inquest was directed by the Attorney General in 2012, almost five years ago, and to date there has been very little success in identifying soldiers involved on that particular day," he said.
"This family never had a proper investigation and it's not about a witch hunt. An inquest is a fact-finding mission, it doesn't make decisions on criminal or civil liabilities so to call it a witch hunt is a gross exaggeration."
Major General Tim Cross, a retired British Army officer who served in Northern Ireland, said he was not surprised that the MoD had had difficulty in tracking down former soldiers.
"I would be very surprised and amazed if soldiers start ringing up and saying 'yes, I'm happy to come up and give witnesses' because they'll fear that they'll end up in the dock themselves," he said.
"Part of the problem is for good or ill is that a lot of soldiers are angry about the way that people are going back in history and trying to dig up stuff and put them on trial when these guys as young men put their lives on the line defending democracy and serving on behalf of their nation and they feel that the government are just abandoning them."
Unionists and senior Conservative politicians, including the Secretary of State, James Brokenshire, have claimed that investigations into Troubles killings have been unduly focused on killings by the Army.
This was disputed by police figures seen by the BBC.
They showed that investigations into killings by the Army account for about 30% of the PSNI's legacy workload.


As BBC Sport celebrates 60 years of Sports Personality of the Year, we visit the archive to remember the achievements of all the previous winners.

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In 2006 eventing Champion Zara Phillips was named Sports Personality of the Year.
Phillips, daughter of HRH Princess Anne, followed in her mother's footsteps winning the BBC award. Her mother picked up the trophy in 1971.
Zara won the Eventing World Championships in Aachen in 2006 and later went on to win a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2015 is broadcast live from Belfast on Sunday, 20 December from 19:00 GMT on BBC One. Further coverage on BBC Sport's online platforms and Radio 5 live.


The annual festival of literature and the arts is taking place in Hay-on-Wye this week, but the event's success masks a struggle for survival among the second-hand bookshops that first made the town famous.

Several shops have closed in recent years, with the competition from online retailers and e-books forcing the remaining businesses to adapt in order to survive.
For some it has meant diversifying their stock, for others it has involved embracing the internet to turn a profit.
Richard Booth's Bookshop is the grandest and best-known of the bookshops that pepper the few small streets branching off from the town clock.
But even this icon of well-thumbed novels and nearly-new autobiographies has had to introduce food and films to keep a healthy base of customers.
Alongside thousands of books - not all of them second-hand - the shop also has a cinema and cafe, and offers workshops and events for visitors.
Elizabeth Haycox, the American businesswoman who bought the bookshop from Richard Booth, said it would be pointless to attempt to undercut the online retailers.
"I'm not trying to compete with the internet because you can't. The booksellers, who are no longer here, did. Piling them high and selling them cheap just doesn't work.
"Richard [Booth's] vision was that Hay would become a town of booksellers, each experts in their own specific field."
Mrs Haycox said the town was evolving thanks to the success of the festival.
"Hay is a market town, and it's whatever the market will bear. At one time it was sheep, it was butter, it was cheese, it was books. And now maybe Hay is heading for the next thing, which could well be ideas.
"The festival is what has made the change. We no longer have to be a town just about books, we can be a town about ideas."
Anne Brichto, who runs Addyman's Books, said the festival period was like Christmas for her three shops in Hay - but selling her stock online had helped counter a fall in trade in the town for the rest of the year.
"Not so many people actually come to the bookshops of Hay. Over festival time we are very busy but it's only ten days, and we have to spend the rest of the year selling books.
"We're only closed Christmas day, Boxing day, and New Year's Day - the rest of the time we are selling books, and we would love to see people come in this quantity again, which they used to do."
Mrs Brichto said the festival was "a mixed blessing" for Hay-on-Wye, with many visitors staying in the tented site on the edge of the town, rather than visiting the bookshops. But she said the event was still good for the town.
"It still keeps Hay in the news, it is still a very interesting thing for a town that's the size of a large secondary school to have all these people come here. It's very exciting."
Local author Jim Saunders has written about Hay-on-Wye and the other market towns dotted along the Welsh border. He said Hay remained the envy of many of the neighbouring towns.
"I think if you took all the bookshops away tomorrow, Hay would still do quite well. It's in the Brecon Beacons National Park, it's got a reputation as an interesting place to go. It's got nice restaurants and pubs, so it's got a lot of things going for it apart from the bookshops."
The Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts continues until 1 June. You can find more information, and watch some events live on the BBC Arts site.