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A car is crushed by a fallen chimney after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Christchurch - Source: ONE News -
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The magnitude 7.1 earthquake that hit Canterbury early today is expected to be the most damaging since the 1931 magnitude 7.8 Hawke's Bay quake.
The earthquake, which jolted Cantabrians awake at 4.35am, was located 30 kilometres west of Christchurch near Darfield at a depth of 10km.
It was felt throughout the South Island and as far north as New Plymouth. Damage to buildings and infrastructure in Christchurch and surrounding areas is considerable.
There have been 30 further jolts since the quake rocked Canterbury this morning and they are likely to continue for weeks. The largest was just before 5 o'clock this evening- it measured 5.4 on the Richter scale. Aftershocks of up to around magnitude 6 are likely to continue for the next week.
GNS Science duty seismologist, John Ristau, said typically the largest aftershocks occurred within the first 48 hours of a large earthquake.
Seismologists said a foreshock of about magnitude 5.4 occurred a few seconds before the main shock and seismic energy from the two shocks became entangled making it difficult to pinpoint the size, location, and depth of the main shock.
There are several known active faults under the Canterbury Plains and in the Canterbury foothills, but at this stage it appears the earthquake has not occurred on a known fault.
Scientists from GNS Science, Victoria University of Wellington and Stanford University in the US have joined colleagues from Canterbury University to deploy about 40 portable earthquake instruments to record aftershocks over the next few weeks.
Scientists will also study satellite data to investigate surface deformation in Canterbury as a result of the earthquake and geologists have travelled to Canterbury to investigate the geological and environmental impacts of the quake, and to undertake a detailed ground study.
Much of the scientific response to the earthquake is being coordinated under the GNS Science-led Natural Hazards Research Platform, set up by the government a year ago to provide long-term funding for natural hazards research.
Factbox:
The mid-Canterbury quake struck at 4.36am.
It was initially measured at magnitude 7.4 and later downgraded to
7.1.
The epicentre was 40 km west of Christchurch city, close to
Darfield.
The depth of the quake was at 10km.
Most structural damage above ground was in Christchurch CBD and to
the north of the city along the coast.
Many areas were left without power, water, sewerage services and
gas.
Minor damage was reported from Omihi in North Canterbury through to
Timaru in South Canterbury.
In the first 15 hours, there were 28 aftershocks over magnitude 4,
ranging up to 5.4.
Christchurch last had 7.1 quakes in March 1929 (Arthur's Pass), and
September 1888 (North Canterbury).
Did you experience the Canterbury quake? Do you have images or video or CCTV footage of the earthquake? Send them into news@tvnz.co.nz
Share your experiences of the earthquake on our
messageboard at the end of this article:
Add a Comment:
Post new commentgordy said on 2010-09-09 @ 13:59 NZDT: Report abusive post
Im my 51 years on this earth I have never felt so pertrified..my first thoughts was we had been hit by a nuclear bomb and it was Armageddon. Never ever want to experience it again
schicken said on 2010-09-08 @ 19:15 NZDT: Report abusive post
I thought the same thing initially. However, another quake big enough to close or shift the cracks further is likely to be heard first and all the kids will most likely be fine. If a child does get swallowed up, I'm probably not going to have huge empathy for the media coverage or their parents, but until then, let the region have a little bit of fun. Education about health risks regarding contaminated water may be a good idea for all. :)
thinkaboutit said on 2010-09-06 @ 23:06 NZDT: Report abusive post
More great coverage tonight TVNZ especially highlighting the situation at individual community levels where people reported they felt abandoned. All credit to those organising themselves into community working groups at this level despite this. Arguably the recovery process would be greatly enhanced if these community groups were psychologically and practically supported by establishing official coordination centres at individual community levels.
Madeleine Ware said on 2010-09-06 @ 17:31 NZDT: Report abusive post
You're making some good points here. Perhaps some of the donations could be towards purchasing and setting up storage of these sorts of things. Individuals are also responsible for making their own preparations. I clean and keep old 3L juice bottles filled with water. Every now and then I water my house plants with one and refill it to refresh it.
Madeleine Ware said on 2010-09-06 @ 17:25 NZDT: Report abusive post
Why are they buying water? Aren't there several tankers about the city giving it away?