7.0 earthquake hits Christchurch, New Zealand

reply to post by Brogue

Well no one was killed but most describe it as a pretty scary experience did your home and contents survive intact?

reply to post by anglodemonicmatrix


The house did survive ok - no damage that I can see for me or my neighbours (we live in addington). We had a couple bookcases fall over and china smashed etc, but nothing major.
We feel very lucky

yes - we cannot relax. each time we feel a shock, we tense, and wait to see if it stops, or if it'll get bigger and keep going..

Heres my version of the Darfield Quake aftershock maps up till noon today, I haven't put the actual felt details onto the 4th's kml file yet, I do have the data saved on file, had to lift it individually of each quake on the "recent quakes" page and go back to the archives for some that happened yesterday afternoon, there are 38 of them for the 4th Sept UTC, I can do that later. Had interuptions all day long.

You can read the text list here for 4th UTC, and 3rd UTC here I won't clutter up this thread with the lines of text

03.09.2010 UTC Interactive Map

04.09.2010 UTC Interactive Map

Hope it works OK. For those that don't frequent the main Earthquake 2010 thread the epicentres are at the base of each icon. Green icons are Mag 2-2.99ML, Grey 3.0-3.99ML, Yellow 4.0-4.99, Red i icons are those reported as Felt by the public to Geonet.


[edit on 5-9-2010 by muzzy]

There's still tension in the alpine fault. This earthquake was not related to the fault line between the Pacific and Australian plates and that means there is a larger earthquake scheduled for the region sometime within the next 50 years.
Details here:
"They admit they were caught out by the location of yesterday's earthquake, expecting a serious jolt to occur further west. Now they are warning the 4.36am 7.1 on the Richter Scale quake - centred 40km west of Christchurch and with its epicentre 10km south-east of Darfiel - was not the big one they had been predicting." - stuff.co.nz

reply to post by muzzy


Great maps, thanks Muzzy.

I wonder if it's just coincidence that the vast majority of the quakes have occurred between the mighty Rakaia and Waimakariri rivers...

Can i ask does anyone who was there have any video footage they recorded?

I may cover this in an upcoming show So if you guys and girls have pictures or videos can you u2u me

Thanks for your time,

Julie/Asala.


[edit on 5-9-2010 by asala]

Originally posted by MoorfNZ
reply to post by muzzy

 

Great maps, thanks Muzzy.

I wonder if it's just coincidence that the vast majority of the quakes have occurred between the mighty Rakaia and Waimakariri rivers...

I've added the 'felt reports" to the tags for the 4th UTC Map now.

Yeah I see that with the rivers.

Another thing. I should have mentioned it last week but never got around to it , is a series of quakes just offshore from the Rangitata River mouth just north of Timaru. I first noticed this when updating my eq map blog for July with revised quake data, just one quake each day, very minor magnitude ( 1.8 to 2.6ML) the last one was on the 27th Aug, the other days were 26Aug, 1,2,3,4,5,6,12,16,19,24,27,29 July

You can see the "swarm" on this Geonet shallow quakes map, down at the bottom. These maps are good for spotting swarms over a period of 60 days but not much else as there is no time line to it.
images.geonet.org.nz...

I don't know what relevance this may have as to "a warning" prior yo your 7.1 quake, probably a long shot, its just that I don't recall ever seeing this type of activity at this location ( South Canterbury Bight) before (4 years watching NZ).

I should have said something about it on Earthquakes 2010 thread, but theres been some pressure there not to report minor quakes.

Of course not all swarms result in major quakes, a lot of them go on for days on end then just finish ie Otakaina, Matata, Turangi etc.

[edit on 5-9-2010 by muzzy]

[edit on 5-9-2010 by muzzy]

Just listening to our local radio station they are interviewing some guy from Bishopdale, he said there was definitely 2 quakes (like USGS are saying) after the first (the 5.7?) he had time to get up out of bed and start picking up fallen household items then the 2nd one hit and he couldn't stay standing up.

All schools and Public Buildings closed for at least 2 days so Engineers can inspect the damage.

How was the Wind Storm down there? We were/are getting hammered all night long steady 94km winds, gusts to 140km here on the Kapiti Coast., raining sideways.

I see on the geonet recent quakes page that several of the 4mag aftershocks in the early hours of the morning have resulted in severe damage at Mairehau
www.geonet.org.nz...




[edit on 5-9-2010 by muzzy]

We seemed to have dodged the wind in Christchurch City, which was lucky. It's a gorgeous day, expected to reach 21 degrees C. So glad it's not raining.

s1.demos.eaglegis.co.nz...

Originally posted by badw0lf
Sure not epic movie scale, but strike a light that's still hefty considering you just don't see it happen before in NZ.

Ol' mother earth is sure getting cranky with us...

Although this is the most significant quake we've had in a long time, that is simply not true. New Zealand is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, as it lies on the boundary of the Indo-Australian and Pacific plates. It is a geologically active area with many volcanoes and fault lines, and is no stranger to earthquakes.

Just lust year we had a 7.8 quake strike the South Island, but it was centered in the remote area of Fiordland, so no signifcant damage was reported. Our most devestating earthquake occured in 1931 in Napier, in the North Island. It was a magnitude 7.8 which killed 256 people and raised a large amount of land from the sea. This new land is now the location of the airport. It had many aftershocks, including a 7.3 ten days later.

Another significant quake was the 1929 Murchison quake estimated to be a 7.8. Although it struck in a fairly remote area, there were still 15 deaths and widespread damage.

If you look at this list of earthquakes for NZ, we have had many similiar or larger quakes compared to this recent quake. So while this is certainly a significant quake, we have certainly had them before.
New Zealand's Top Earthquakes

Originally posted by MoorfNZ
Yes, it's officially Spring, but Sept snow showers aren't unusual down here in inland mid-Canterbury - short polar blasts!

(Another passion of mine - snow!)

Yes indeed, don't be fooled by the label 'Spring'. I'm certainly hoping for a fair bit more snow yet on Ruapehu, to hopefully get as long a season as last year, going well into November. We got plenty of dumps later than this last year. This season's looked pretty good for you guys down South. Have you had any decent days? I haven't been able to get down yet , but might be going down next week

Just an update folks from Christchurch,

it's now Monday morning here (10am 'ish)

The severe windstorm that was expected last night was not as bad as forecast, although the Rolleston area in particular has lost power again due to the winds, within 24hrs of regaining their power after the quake.

The radio is stating that all drivers in the city should be vigilant as there are sinkholes appearing out of nowhere, especially in the eastern suburbs.

I've spoken to people this morning who's homes are badly affected and are without water still.

I witnessed some of the Central City damage myself today as my workplace is nearby. It's really shocking to see.

G



EDIT - not near as many aftershocks, although still a few jolts last night and this morning.

[edit on 5-9-2010 by grantbeed]

Originally posted by grantbeed

EDIT - not near as many aftershocks, although still a few jolts last night and this morning.

[edit on 5-9-2010 by grantbeed]

Yerp, just had one now (10:17 a.m.)....my nerves are frayed and while from an Academic point of view this is fascinating, I am also on the verge of tears

reply to post by aorAki


I know how you feel mate. It's a strange feeling now indeed.

Just stay strong friend and know that we were all very very lucky to still be here today.

g

Absolutely Grant, cheers mate...it still sort of feels like a really bad dream...back atcha

www.drquigs.com...

Casuative fault is an E-W (089 degrees) striking fault that has a maximum right-lateral offset of 4.6 metres and maximum vertical offset of 1 metre. NW-striking tensional cracks show some small (cm scale) left lateral offsets probably related to rotation of fault blocks within dextral shear zone. NE-striking fractures manifest as 'pop ups' indicating orthogonal shortening. Estimated surface rupture length of 22.3 km. Preliminary investigations suggest that the fault was not previously recognized as a major earthquake source because it resides under the Canterbury Plains and had no prior visible geomorphic expression. However, U Canterbury scientist Jarg Pettinga predicted the presence of such faults in a paper published 12 years ago. Fault possibly relates to southward propogation of the major ENE-striking Marlborough Fault system towards Christchurch, with this a relatively 'new' fault. Alternative is that it is an established 'blind' fault (no obvious prior surface trace). Fault occurred in the Pacific Plate related to build up of elastic strain associated with relative movement of the Australian and Pacific Plates.

Update and press release




[edit on 5-9-2010 by aorAki]

I'm living in Christchurch and was awoken by the Earthquake. It sounded like a truck convoy was plowing through our house. Our house was okay yet the whole city has been effected. Many areas are flooded with water and sewerage mains broken or destroyed. The CBD of Christchurch is where most heritage buildings were located, most have been damaged greatly. The costs of damage are about 2 billion NZ dollars which is roughly 1,437,674,427 US dollars. Satilite towns around Christchurch like Kaipoi and Darfield, the closest settlement to the epicentre have been damaged greatly. Many friends in Kaipoi are being evacuated as their houses are condemmed.

Canterbury was never thought to be seismically active, yet scientists have now discovered the network of faultlines passing under the city. At the moment we are waiting for the 6.1 aftershock as a rule of thumb, yet the media is now starting to cover the possibilities of a larger earthquake on the way. We cannot shower or drink the tap water due to contamination.

The big one scientists have been warning us about is supposed to be around 8 on the richter scale. They also said that it could happen anyway in the next 50 years. The state of emergency has been extended till wednesday, with all schools and other public buildings and services being inspected. Thank you for your support and any knowledge on Earthquakes is greatly welcomed so we can get an idea of the chances and ideas of the bigger one striking.

Semoro.

Originally posted by Semoro


Canterbury was never thought to be seismically active, yet scientists have now discovered the network of faultlines passing under the city. At the moment we are waiting for the 6.1 aftershock as a rule of thumb, yet the media is now starting to cover the possibilities of a larger earthquake on the way. We cannot shower or drink the tap water due to contamination.



Semoro.

Sorry to be pedantic, but parts of Canterbury were/are well-known to be seismically active (Hope Fault, Springfield Fault etc) and it was suspected that there were many blind faults around. Unfortunately it takes a seismic event to 'discover' them.

See my link above.

I am aware of these faults, yet i am referring to the ones now found in Christchurch city. And the immediate surrounding area.

Faultlines

Geologists say Canterbury is riddled with more earthquake-generating fault zones than previously thought - some as close as 20km to central Christchurch.

Canterbury University scientists have found there are about 100 fault lines and fault segments around the region, rather than the half-dozen active faults that were known about 20 years ago.

The closest faults to Christchurch capable of generating powerful quakes are in the Rangiora-Cust area, near Hororata, and near Darfield.

Some have been recognised between Darfield and Porters Pass, and the Hororata fault between Darfield and Sheffield can be seen on the land surface because of the warping of alluvial plains.

www.nzherald.co.nz...

However, U Canterbury scientist Jarg Pettinga predicted the presence of such faults in a paper published 12 years ag

www.drquigs.com...

They had been suspected, and talk in the tea room was often about the possibility of faultlines under the city as well as extensively across the plains. Unfortunately geophysics requires considerable financial input and thus generally focusses on areas of known seismic potential.

a good look at what happened

The quake was caused by the continuing collision between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates, said Professor Mark Quigley, of Canterbury University.
‘One side of the Earth has lurched to the right ... up to 11ft and in some places been thrust up,’ he said. ‘We went and saw two houses that were completely snapped in half by the earthquake.’


Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk...

link
www.dailymail.co.uk...




worth a read for info

We still need some idea of what to expect. My family is still very scared of the earthquake, sleeping all in the same room last night. What do you guys think?