M 7.2, South Island of New Zealand

[EMSC]

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/images/globes/-45_170.jpgFriday, September 3, 2010 16:35:44 UTC
Saturday, September 4, 2010 04:35:44 AM at epicenter

Depth: 16.10 km (10.00 mi)





More... (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2010atbj.php)

[Studeo]

Holy heck I thought I was gonna die.

[Celine]

You felt it Studeo?

[Swami]

Everything OK, Studeo...?

[Studeo]

That was scary. I'm on second floor, and things were falling around me. No one hurt here, don't know elsewhere.

[Swami]

Good to hear your save though.............

[Studeo]

Still getting after shocks.

[MariaDine]

Are you better, now ?!
Any news ? A big hug for you, my friend :)

[Studeo]

Massive 7.4 quake hits South Island
Last updated 05:28 04/09/2010SharePrint Text Size Relevant offers
BREAKING NEWS: A massive 7.4 magnitude earthquake has hit New Zealand's South Island, causing widespread damage and cutting power.

The quake was centred 30km west of Christchurch and 33km underground. It hit at 4.35am and there have been many reports of damage.

It was felt widely across the South Island, including Christchurch and Timaru, and there have also been reports of the quake being felt as far as Wellington. Several aftershocks have been felt.

Colleen Simpson said everyone was out in the street in their pyjamas looking scared and worried. There was no power and the mobile network was failing.

"Oh my God. There is a row of shops completely demolished right in front of me," she said.

Simpson and her young family were heading to her sister's house, where there was still power, so everyone could be together.

Some Christchurch residents have reported chimneys have fallen in through roofs, ceilings have cracked and brick walls have collapsed

Kevin O'Hanlon, from Mairehau in Christchurch, said it was unbelievable.

"Just unbelievable. I was awake to go to work and then just heard this massive noise and, boom, it was like the house got hit. It just started shaking. I've never felt anything like it."

Christchurch Press chief reporter Kamala Hayman said power was out in many southern suburbs.

"The first shake tipped books and glasses off our shelves and we are still getting sizeable aftershocks."

Ryan Shaw, in Christchurch, said "TV fallen off cabinet, books, pot plants everywhere and I'm very shaken."

Roads around the seaside suburbs of New Brighton and Sumner are thronged with cars as worried residents flee any possible tsunami. There has been no tsunami alert issued.

Grant Shimmin, in Temuka, South Canterbury, said the quake seemed to go on for a long time, possibly as long as a minute.

"It sounded like some objects were falling around the house, although we've not found anything broken.

"My daughters, in their respective bedrooms, were both woken quickly and called out, obviously feeling pretty scared, and we huddled under doorways."

A resident of Alexandra - in Central Otago - also reported feeling the quake.

"Our house was moving from side to side and the movements were pretty big. Nothing was damaged and I didn't hear any furniture moving, but the house was moving a lot."

More to come.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4094986/Massive-7-4-quake-hits-South-Island

[Ross]

Glad you are ok studeo...

My sister live in CHCH, she's all good but a lil shaken...

The quake, which was centered about 30 kilometers (19 miles) northwest of Christchurch, ruptured sewer lines and water pipes and closed the city’s airport, Radio New Zealand reported. Tim Dower, a New Zealand journalist, told CNN that some building facades had collapsed. There were no initial reports of serious injuries.

The magnitude of the initial tremor was revised to 7.0 from 7.4 by the USGS. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake didn’t pose a tsunami threat.

Quite a biggie for that area...

New Zealand’s most powerful recorded earthquake hit in January 1855 with an estimated magnitude of about 8.2, according to GeoNet, an earthquake-monitoring site. It shifted vertically about 5,000 square kilometers of land.

Ross

[Studeo]

Just came back from a look around town. Here's some pics...

22262227222822292230

[Studeo]

Some more...

2231223222332234

[Studeo]

Last lot....
2235223622372238

[Ross]

It seems fortunate the quake occured while most were asleep...could of been serious injuries if all were 'out n about'

good work studeo

Ross

[morguana]

i am so very pleased that your ok studeo and your sister ross, in fact i hope that apart from buildings being damaged that all the folk in the region are ok
my love to them
m x

[MariaDine]

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/last_event/world/world_new_zealand.php

¤=[Post Update]=¤

5.7... (7.2....???) What kind a report is this ???


Hope you are O.K. ,Studeo !

[MariaDine]

STUDEO......Something to ease your mind of things....«Pick yourself up, dust yourself of....» :) LOVE MD



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBUFIcs-zzo

[Studeo]

Thank you everyone for your concern. I am alright and things are a bit nuts at the moment. Water is out but my house still has electricity which is really good. A lot of the older brick buildings have been badly damaged with collapsed walls and many windows are broken in the city. Got a few hours ahead of me picking things up off the floor but will put some large items on floor because of aftershocks. No structural damage to the house which was very surprising considering the force. Houses across the road has damage to chimneys. Very scary thing to experience.

[MariaDine]

Good ! You have your wits about you...Keep must of your things on the floor...but just in case pack a bag with essencials, in case you have to go out the door

[Studeo]

LATEST: Quake-ravaged Canterbury was spared the worst from wild weather overnight but the region could still be hit by floods from rising rivers.

Emergency services, councils and other agencies were yesterday called to "numerous instances" of felled trees and power lines, some of which knocked out power and blocked roads, as high winds hammered the region in the wake of Saturday's pre-dawn magnitude 7.1 earthquake.

The weather overnight was not as severe as authorities feared, but flooding could yet hit the region as stopbanks weakened by the quake may not be able to withstand rising waters.

Civil Defence said the Waimakariri River could burst its stopbanks today if it continued to rise at the expected rate.

Engineers would this morning inspect the stopbanks.

About 150 people were evacuated from a holiday park near Kaiapoi yesterday as a precaution.

Canterbury also continues to be rocked by aftershocks, with dozens of quakes of up to 4.8 magnitude striking overnight.

Hundreds of people spent their second night away from home in aid shelters in Christchurch after their houses were destroyed in the quake.

CBD OFF LIMITS

Inner-city Christchurch remains off-limits to an estimated 50,000 workers today and the city's mayor has warned it could be months before life returns to normal.

An inner-city cordon and curfew remained last night and the state of emergency, which finishes at noon, was expected to be extended.

Public buildings such as the Christchurch courthouse, central library and Christ Church Cathedral will remain shut.

Engineers spent most of yesterday condemning many buildings as unsafe and ordering their demolition.

At 8pm last night, the council narrowed a cordon from Durham St/Cambridge Tce, Montreal, Armagh and Kilmore streets to a new area bounded by Armagh St, Durham St/Cambridge Tce, Madras St and St Asaph St.

This morning the council expected to lift the cordon from Colombo St north of the Square to Cambridge Tce and in Cathedral Square.

Lifting the other cordons around Manchester St may not happen until at least the middle of the week. Decisions were made as buildings were assessed by structural engineers, who have been issuing red (no entry), yellow (restricted access) and green (all clear) stickers.

The Christchurch City Council's newly opened headquarters in Hereford St will remain closed until September 14. Other council service centres will remain closed, as will libraries and swimming pools until they have been structurally assessed.

Ad Feedback Parker said workers based inside the cordoned area should not go to work.

Council staff had not yet inspected other buildings outside that zone. Employers had to take personal responsibility and decide if their staff could return.

"We don't want employees coming into the CBD. That area is closed to the public because it is a dangerous area."

Alistair Humphrey, Canterbury's medical officer of health, said no building owners should allow staff or the public to enter shops or workplaces until they had been cleared by a structural engineer. "The message for people is if in doubt, stay out."

Schools, except for those in Rangiora, and all city buses will not operate until at least Wednesday and Parker said there would be "a significant amount of disruption to public life".

Parker praised the efforts of workers and volunteers and said it was a miracle no-one had been killed.

"This has been the most extraordinary, miraculous event. It is unbelievable we have been spared that."

One person remained in Christchurch Hospital's intensive care unit with serious injuries after being hit by falling debris. According to the Civil Defence website, about 100 people were treated at the hospital on Saturday with earthquake-related injuries.

But the scale of the disaster was "enormous" and residents needed to understand things would not return to normal for "a significant amount of time".

"This was a moment of intense violence that ripped apart a community in 60 seconds. Yesterday (on Saturday) we were glad to be alive. Today (yesterday) we are worried about our lives."

Fewer than 5000 customers should still be without power by this morning, Orion chief executive Roger Sutton said.

There was the danger of lines lying on the ground and he urged everyone to treat all lines as live. Staff would be working for the rest of the week restoring power and making urgent repairs.

Police said there had been two incidents where "known criminals" impersonated tradesmen to enter the cordon area.

CABINET TO MEET

The Cabinet will meet today to discuss how to get quake-ravaged Canterbury back on its feet.

Prime Minister John Key said last night that early estimates putting the cost of repairs at $2b were a "finger in the air figure".

Hundreds of homes would need to be demolished and there would be thousands more where damage was not immediately apparent.

Mr Key said central government would look at where it could step in to fix local infrastructure, such as rail, road and water, that was usually funded by local government. "We can't expect them to pick up that tab twice."

Police and army resources would also be considered.

Mr Key said Cabinet would also appoint a civil defence commissioner to oversee reconstruction and aid. "This isn't a short-term thing."

The Earthquake Commission expects claims from at least 100,000 households to cost $1b.

The Government will have to decide if it gives help to people without insurance, which Mr Key said was "a moral hazard".

Providing assistance to those people would discourage others from buying policies. But not helping could leave people in "financial hardship".

Mr Key said he was pleased at how Civil Defence had responded to the emergency.

Civil defence planners warned, however, that many people in the country were without adequate emergency kits or plans, and some households risked significant financial hardship after a natural disaster because they were uninsured.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4098378/Disruption-follows-Canterbury-quake

[shiva777]

yeah.I live in Diamond Harbour ,on a peninsular just a few kilometer's from Christchurch "as the crow flies"...I slept through most of it...lol...woke in the last few seconds of it with my bed and house shaking violently...no damage,no drama...kind of exciting really!
It has been quite traumatic for many people and lots of damage to houses and roads.water systems.sewage etc...the media.of course,focuses on the most dramatic stories and events...for many it is an adventure and a great time of sharing and community caring...peace,Rick

[Anchor]

This New faultline comes as big surprise to scientists caught my attention:


Saturday's earthquake took scientists by surprise, as it revealed a new faultline in a territory not known for seismic activity.

GNS Science staff yesterday found signs of the quake's epicentre, 14km south of Darfield, which lies 50km west of Christchurch.

Aerial surveys revealed a dark, 24km-long scar across paddocks and roads where the shallow tremor offset the land.

The faultline cut roads 4m apart, dug up mounds of earth, and in some places formed a waist-high step in the land.

GNS regional geologist Simon Cox said there were several known active faults under the Canterbury Plains and in the Canterbury foothills, but this earthquake came from a previously unknown, buried faultline.

"There is no evidence at this site for previous rupture. We don't think it has ruptured often, or at all, in the last 18,000 years."

While the tremor could awaken surrounding faults, it could also relieve pressure on the earth.

Article continues below

"We just released a lot of stress over this side. It's kind of like snapping an elastic band. Once you pull it out, and it snaps, hopefully most of the pull you've got in the band has gone," Dr Cox said.

"The earth has released a lot of energy. And you'd much rather have it happen at 5am than at a time when everyone was walking around downtown Christchurch. It's a good one from that perspective."

GNS reported that the 7.1-magnitude tremor was the eight-strongest on record in New Zealand and caused the most damage since the 1931 Napier/Hastings quake that claimed 256 lives.

The worst of the aftershocks, one of which was measured at 5.1, were expected to be over by today.

Smaller aftershocks were likely to continue for weeks, diminishing in size and frequency.

Seismologists had predicted that the South Island was due for a massive earthquake within the next 50 years. But that quake was expected on the 400km Alpine fault, which runs between Milford Sound and the Lewis Pass.

Because Saturday's earthquake occurred in new territory, that "big one" could still happen in the next 50 years.

GNS seismologist John Ristau said the large quake was a "rude wake-up call" for the rest of the country, especially Wellington, which lay on a major faultline.

"It had been 80 years since a highly damaging earthquake had occurred in the country. People tend to get a bit complacent about it."

Dr Ristau suspected that three earthquakes occurred nearly simultaneously on Saturday. A magnitude-5.4 jolt was followed five seconds later by two larger quakes 10 seconds apart. The larger, 10km-deep one caused the earth to shift horizontally, before being thrust up vertically.

Scientists will place 40 instruments near the faultline this week to determine whether stress was transferred to other faults.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10671382

[Swami]

Earth's surface 'lurches 11ft to the right' as New Zealand earthquake rips new fault line


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/09/05/article-0-0B0B80BD000005DC-138_306x466.jpg


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.’
The quake cut power across the region, roads were blocked by debris and gas and water supplies were disrupted.
Christchurch mayor Bob Parker said power was back to 90 per cent of the city and water supply had resumed for all but 15 to 20 per cent of residents.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1309194/New-Zealand-earthquake-moves-Earths-surface-11ft-right.html

[shiva777]

yeah...we are still getting some big aftershocks and estimated cost of quake is 4 billion NZ dollars...we have been blessed to have no deaths and few serious injuries,earthquake experts are amazed.
Lots of sharing and caring happening and a new start for many ahead.

Peace,Rick

[Ross]

yeah...we are still getting some big aftershocks and estimated cost of quake is 4 billion NZ dollars...we have been blessed to have no deaths and few serious injuries,earthquake experts are amazed.
Lots of sharing and caring happening and a new start for many ahead.

Peace,Rick

4.35am was a fortuitous time for this quake to occur. 50,000 workers head into the CBD for work. Imagine if the quake happened during these hours.

Ross

[Studeo]

Quake-hit Christchurch looks great from space

Battered and bruised Christchurch might be, but from space she looks a stunner.

NASA Colonel Douglas Wheelock, based on the International Space Station, claims to be the first space based twitterer and has specialised in turning out the kind of landscapes only astronauts can come up with.

He posted his Christchurch picture two days ago and asked followers to identify it.

They quickly did.

"Hey Astro, this is awesome! Christchurch recently had an earthquake and still struggling from it, so this is a lovely gift to them," wrote one follower.

"Poor Banks Peninsula & Canterbury and devastation of the recent quake."

Another follower: "Looks like a dandelion puffball of the Earth!"

2286

[Studeo]

It 's been a long night last night. Studeo

Chch has a shaky Saturday

Stuff Last updated 09:00 26/09/2010

Christchurch residents were shaken by three strong earthquakes on Saturday evening.

GeoNet listed the first quake - at 7.46pm - as magnitude 3.8. It was only 8km deep and 5km from Christchurch.

The second quake stuck 12 minutes later and was recorded at magnitude 4.1. It was 7km deep and in the same area.

The third was 9km deep, at 8.01pm, and magnitude 4.

The activity sparked a number of calls to the emergency services from worried residents and many people were seen returning home from the CBD.

Another quake measuring 3.8 hit at 1:57am this morning, about 10km southeast of Christchurch.

Residents have become used to feeling the ground shake in the weeks following a massive 7.1 quake which hit the region earlier this month, but tonight's jolts once again have the city on edge just as they settled in for the night.

Many residents shared their fears on Twitter.

Christine Daviault said "I'm all jittery again jumping at noises and waiting for the next one'' while Wendy Davie said the aftershocks were making her feel sick.

Other residents said they would be going to bed fully clothed again for the first time since the largest earthquake on September 4.

Canterbury has been rocked by hundreds of aftershocks since a massive 7.1 quake hit the region earlier this month, causing major damage.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4168270/Chch-has-a-shaky-Saturday

[Studeo]

Is there meaning in cows behaving oddly?

By DAVID WILLIAMS - The Press Last updated 05:00 02/10/2010

It started like any other morning for Canterbury dairy farmer Heath Smith.

He had finished his morning coffee and stepped out the door of his house at Te Pirita, just north of the Rakaia River, admiring the still morning air.

"All of a sudden the pigs next door ... they just started squealing and then it just sort of got more high pitched and louder and louder. And then the cows started bellowing."

When the birds in two hedges near the house started chirping crazily, adding to the cacophony, Smith became a little unnerved.

"Then, just like if you clicked your fingers, everything just went dead silent," he said.

"And about 10 to 20 seconds later it just started shaking."

Smith is one of more than 400 people to respond to a Lower Hutt scientist's call for strange signs in the lead-up to the magnitude 7.1 Canterbury earthquake on September 4.

Dr Neil Whitehead, a biogeochemist, has researched earthquake precursors, as he called them, for more than 20 years.

Precursors could vary from ground noises and water movements, animal distress, electronic glitches and lights in the sky – seen in the days, hours and minutes leading up to an earthquake.

Whitehead said the majority of reports from before the Canterbury quake were of animals acting strangely.

Smith said he knew of one dairy farmer whose 500 cows sat down at once "like you'd just chopped all their legs off".

Other neighbours recalled their cows bellowing.

Whitehead said there were three cases of dog owners who reluctantly let their noisy canines outside and who were standing in the doorway when the quake hit.

"They [the dogs] fulfilled the role of watchdog in quite an unexpected way," Smith said.

In several other cases, cats pawed at their owners' faces until they woke.

Whitehead said there were twice the normal number of missing cats and dogs in Christchurch in the week before the quake.

"The day before the quake it was even higher," he said.

Whitehead said the animals' behaviour was too early for them to be reacting to the coming seismic shockwaves of the quake. He said they were possibly responding to low frequency electromagnetic waves.

Whitehead said the science into precursors was "experimental and exploratory" but he suggested heeding animals that made noises in the middle of the night, adding: "It could be useful."

Precursor experiences collected before and during the Canterbury quake will be published in an academic journal paper.

To contribute to Whitehead's web survey go to: www.chchquake.co.nz

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4190398/Is-there-meaning-in-cows-behaving-oddly

[Fractalius]

Hi, I thought it might be interesting to see this animation of the initial quake and the 4000+ aftershocks. I kinda expected to see it already posted. So I'll bump the thread now anyhow.
There was another quake on boxing day around 10.30 am where further buildings were damaged.

http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/