Another Quake Rocks Christchurch New Zealand
February 21, 2011, Submitted by: Ken Tweet
On the heels of a major earthquake that rocked near Christchurch New Zealand on September 4, 2010 (magnitude 7.1), another major earthquake, this time a magnitude 6.3 struck the city of 350,000 during Tuesday afternoon 12:51PM local time February 22, 2011, and was followed by several large earthquakes of magnitude 5.6 and 5.5.
Today’s New Zealand earthquake, based on it’s close proximity to Christchurch compared to last years quake, coupled with the fact that today’s quake was very shallow (4 km) compared to last September’s quake (10 km), will surely result in more widespread damage.
Of high concern was the timing of the earthquake, during the height of a busy workday.
The September quake was located about 35 km from Christchurch while today’s quake was just 10 km from the city center, quite near Lyttleton, a coastal community.
From the New Zealand Herald, nzherald.com.nz, Prime Minister John Key tells TV3, the authorities will be working through the night to try to free those people still trapped under rubble. Speaking from Christchurch after flying down this afternoon, Mr Key told One News it was likely the quake would prove to be New Zealand’s “darkest day”.
1:00pm
Phone lines are down so it’s difficult to get information, but Herald reporter Jarrod Booker said in a brief phone call that they were experiencing a massive earthquake, “bigger than the original”. He sounded very shaken.
1:02pm
The earthquake was felt as far north as Wellington and as far south as Queenstown.
1:03pm
Witness reports from Facebook:
“bloody awful here nr Sheffield – house rolled up and down and shook violently for a good 10 secons or more – husband in town has no power – i am a shaking wreck.”
“Yes my house is a mess, feel bigger that the big one, way bigger”
“Felt huge. Everything smashed, furniture upturned. Very scary”
“Massive destruction I’m the inner city”
1.42pm
The TVNZ building in Christchurch had collapsed, a source, who described the quake as “massive”, told NZPA.
1.44pm
A TV3 reporter said the Pyne Gould building in Cambridge Tce had collapsed.
2.32pm
“Multiple fatalities have been reported at several locations in the central city, including two buses crushed by falling buildings.
3.01pm
TV3 is reporting up to 200 people may be inside the Pyne Gould Guinness building on Cambridge Tce and screams can be heard from inside.
Photograph: AP
As of 7PM local time, the guardian.co.uk reports, “65 people are confirmed dead and more deaths are expected as rescuers comb through the rubble in Christchurch’s centre after a 6.3 magnitude shock hit the city during lunch-hour.”
Photos: BBC
Christchurch, New Zealand, Earthquake Sequence
6 days prior – 6.3 earthquake and aftershocks – day after
Each image credit of the sequence: http://quake.crowe.co.nz/
base map credit: http://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/
More Christchurch New Zealand Earthquake Pictures
Christchurch earthquake: Aerial photos
Map showing scale of shallow earthquake in Christchurch, only 5km deep
The Christchurch earthquake (September 2010, and this new February 2011 quake) has been determined to be on a newly discovered fault. One wonders how many undiscovered faults there are in the world…
From The Independent:
“It’s not a new fault in the sense that it has only just been created but it is a new fault that has only just been discovered,” Dr Roger Musson, head of seismic hazards and archives at the British Geological Society, told The Independent. “Some fault lines are very easy to see but the one under Christchurch is covered by sediment and would have been invisible without thorough geophysical searches.”
A video explanation and illustration of the regional New Zealand tectonics and earthquakes, and why the Christchurch earthquake caused so much damage.
Christchurch New Zealand Tectonics and Quakes
Update, 27-Feb-2011, Prime Minister John Key said “This may be New Zealand’s single-most tragic event”, while the current official death toll puts the number of quake victims at 146. More than 200 people remain missing and hope is dwindling 6 days after the quake. The last survivor was pulled from the ruins during Wednesday.
During 1931, the Napier earthquake on the North Island claimed the lives of 256 people. The Christchurch earthquake is expected to surpass that disaster.
Apparently up to a third of the buildings will need to be demolished and rebuilt in the city’s central area as evidenced in the following dramatic image of dust rising from the city during the earthquake.
Credit: 3news.co.nz
From GNS Science, New Zealand,
The underlying geology of Canterbury was the western end of the Chatham Rise which was broken with many east-west trending faults. Many geologists believed that modern-day tectonic plate motions in the South Island had reawakened some of these very old faults, causing them to fail.
From nzherald.co.nz,
Both the September earthquake and last week’s deadly tremor occurred on faultlines that did not exist on GNS Science’s database…further “blind” faults could lie under Christchurch’s soil, and priority should be placed on creating an ultrasound-like image of the city’s subsurface.
The rest of the story: Christchurch earthquake: Map faults before rebuild: geologist
Current, real-time earthquake seismograph drums near Christchurch, Canterbury region
(from GNS, geonet.org.nz)
Update, 13-June-2011
It just won’t stop… several very strong earthquakes struck Christchurch yet again. A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck during June 13, just southeast of Christchurch, and just 80 minutes later a strong magnitude 6.0 quake jolted Christchurch yet again. 20 minutes after that, a magnitude 4.6 quake shook just offshore of Christchurch.
There has been lots of shaking going on in the world. Time to consider building an earthquake emergency kit including extra food and water, something that everyone should do who is living in or near earthquake country (which is more of the world than you may think).
Update, December 23, 2011
Christchurch New Zealand Quaking Again
Be Prepared. If you enjoyed this, or topics of current events risk awareness and survival preparedness, click here to check out our current homepage articles…
Thanks for the great coverage of our earthquake.
@Rob, Living on top of a very dangerous fault zone myself (for now), these situations are eye-opening and will hopefully cause others to be better prepared themselves, at least as prepared as one can reasonably be.
hi i am so sorry about the earthquake down in chch it is so sad to hear about that
plate tectonic proved to be wrong by scientist.g.ponmudi.
South America Africa India and Australian continents are believed to be moving away from the central Antarctica continents by sea floor spreading process is proved to be wrong.
researchers who believe that all the continents are moving also believe that new sea floor is being formed at the Central region of the Atlantic ocean.a process which the called sea floor spreading .
according to them new sea floor is formed in that region by upwelling magma which surfaced and cooled and solidified and finally formed new sea floor rock.as the process continue new sea floor rocks are formed in the central region which pushing the old sea floor rock to the side.
therefore the sea floor is moving in opposite direction therefore the continents of south America and Africa which is said to be on the moving plate also moving in opposite direction(east-west).
this kind of sea floor spreading can be called as longitude spreading since all the longitude have same length.so there is no problem in this kind of explanation.
but the researchers who believe that all the continents are moving on the surface of the earth also believe that South America Africa India and Australian continents are moving away form the central continent of Antarctica.
and the researchers believe that the Antarctica continents is surrounded by sea floor centre where new sea floor is formed and spreading toward the north therefore the southern continents which rest on the moving plate also moving towards the north i.e moving away from the central Antarctica.
but in this case unlike the longitude spreading the latitudes are having different length.
particularly the latitude near the south pole i.e just around the central Antarctica is smaller then the northern latitudes which is near the equator.
therefore if new sea floor is formed around the Antarctica as the researchers believed and moved towards the north then huge gap will be formed around the central continent of Antarctica.
therefore the newly formed sea floor can not carry huge continents and move along with huge continents as a single plate.
therefore this sea floor spreading model around the Antarctica is proved to be wrong as well as the notion of the moving of the southern continents also proved to be wrong.
@scientist.g.ponmudi, You say proved wrong? How is this so? The fact that seafloor spreading is not equal in all directions is not proof Can you provide evidence of your theory that continental crust is on the rise? what is causing this rising? Eg. Current theory says that New Zealand is rising due to the boundaries between the Pacific and Australian plates. but why are these in collision, where is this force coming from? Something must be pushing them, eg. sea floor spreading on an opposing section of plate. Have you published your findings – as I cant seem to find any when I search.
Firstly congrats on your website coverage of the earthquakes in Canterbury province NZ. Living very near the epicentre of the first one we become very aware after over 7,000 aftershocks that we should be very prepared in whatever comes our way next. The community here has pulled together very well and we have almost every street covered with co-ordinators linked to the local Civil Defence etc. This was not put together for the current situation only but in case of extreme weather too which we sometimes experience in winter. The last aftershocks (earthquakes) this month have turned the situation back to square one for the badly affected eastern suburbs of Christchurch. The problem there is that the land is sinking as it was originally swamp before European settlement in the 1800′s. Part of it has also been reclaimed with landfill i.e. Bexley was once the city’s rubbish dump and filled for development….no wonder there are problems. The liquefaction is enormous and heartbreaking for homeowners who are now cleaning it up for the 3rd time. The ongoing problems for Christchurch will not go away until firm decisions are made about the glaringly obvious, that parts of the city will never be suitable for rebuilding. The “powers that be” seem to be relunctant to say which suburbs this will affect at present and residents will be left to cope as best they can through the winter with sub-standard living conditions.
Very good point, and a lesson for those looking to purchase land in an earthquake zone. Check the geological surveys (in the USA, that would be the USGS) to discover where the lands are that are vulnerable to liquefaction.
Hi Ken, thanks for publishing my comments on what is happening here in ChCh S.Island NZ. Update: There has been a Govt.Earthquake Cera Etc Annoucement yesterday via the Press about what areas are to be firstly paid out. I think that a huge amount will be waiting months….for a final decision on their land. A small area of 5000 homes has been initially designated for the two options of payment by the Govt. for total land and building or only land and negotiation with insurance company for the building and they have been given 9 months. The city has been divided into several zones. Red for the immediate action, orange, green and white. All subject to further geological surveying except the red zone which is quite small in the in the scheme of things for ChCh city. Lots of huge debate, decision and families having the massive change in their lives to move to a completely different area and neighbourhood but you know it’s not so bad…..Kiwis are adaptable and will prevail and get on with it and prosper as we should do for our future generations. Kindest regards Di Cutler