Big Earthquake In New Zealand

[Coast]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZrhB4yeu-w

[knocker]

At 12:51 p.m. local time on February 22, 2011 (11:51 p.m. February 21 UTC), a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the South Island of New Zealand, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported. Several smaller aftershocks followed. The quake occurred near the city of Christchurch, a community of some 400,000 residents on the east coast. The initial death toll was 65, according to news reports, and authorities warned that the toll could rise sharply as search-and-rescue efforts continued.

This map shows the earthquakes that occurred near Christchurch since September 3, 2010. On that day a magnitude 7.1 quake struck to the west of Christchurch. Black circles represent earthquakes from September 3, 2010, until February 21, 2011. Red circles show the locations of the magnitude 6.3 quake and aftershocks on February 22 and the morning of February 23. Larger circles represent stronger earthquakes. Yellow shows urban areas, including Christchurch.

The USGS characterized the 6.3-magnitude quake on February 22 as an aftershock of the quake that struck to the west, in Darfield, New Zealand, on September 3, 2010. Darfield lies about 50 kilometers (30 miles) west-northwest of Christchurch. Although no specific tectonic structure linked the two events, numerous aftershocks of the September quake occurred along a roughly east-west line, as this image indicates. The USGS stated that the quakes were associated with regional tectonic plate boundary deformation. The Pacific Plate and the Australia Plate interact under the South Island of New Zealand.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=49417

NASA Earth Observatory image by Robert Simmon, using plate tectonics data from the USGS Earthquake Hazard Program, elevation data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) courtesy of the University of Maryland’s Global Land Cover Facility, and earthquake data from GeoNet.

[Buzzit]

Hello All : Thankfully managed to get hold of all relatives in Christchurch this morning and apart form a few cuts and bruises they are all well thankfully. My heart goes out to those who are not so fortunate (thanks for your support here on the forum). In the September earthquake the only damage one of my relatives suffered was a loss of about a foot of water out of the pool. this time the pool is a write off as is a section fo the house.. goes to show what a difference quake depth makes (and type of quake).

Interesting from New Zealand geologists is that they believe the quake is on a completely seperate fault line to the September quake and their is debate about whether it was a 'true' aftershock or not...

[Kentish Kiwi]

Have been following this intently since news came through. A truely horrible event and quite possibly New Zealand worst ever natural disaster...

Thoughts go out to all those in Christchurch, particularly those who have lost loved ones.

[PB22]

Not sure how reputable this site is, but came across it:

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

Thoughts go out to everyone down there.

[Coast]

The devastating earthquake that tore through Christchurch on Tuesday is the product of a new fault line in the Earth’s crust that seismologists were previously unaware of. New Zealanders have long known that their mountainous country is acutely vulnerable to tectonic movements. Major fault lines dissect the nation, snaking up the western coast of the South Island before splitting in two just south of the capital Wellington.

"Wellington has always been considered much more at risk because it straddles the plate boundary,†explained Australian Seismological Centre director Kevin McCue. But the two major earthquakes and hundreds of aftershocks that have battered Christchurch in the space of five months have turned such thinking on its head. Instead seismologists believe that a brand new fault, one which might have lain dormant for thousands of years, has sprung back into life with devastating consequences.

“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.â€

Since the first quake in September, which was stronger than Tuesday’s but did less damage, geologists have been desperately trying to map the new fault which is thought to branch out from the main line running up the west coast of the South Island and run under the plain on which Christchurch has been built.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/new-zealand-earthquake-caused-by-new-fault-line-2223545.html

[Coast]

A Japanese tourist captured the moment the earthquake hit Christchurch. The footage shows the immediate chaos after Tuesday's tremor, with dust settling and people running around in panic.

[Snowangel-MK]

This is the terrifying moment a killer earthquake wrecked Christchurch in a pall of dust and debris.

Choking clouds rise from the city centre as tremors bring buildings crashing down.

Within seconds, hundreds of people were killed or trapped, buried beneath tons of debris or crushed in cars and buses.

Last night, the death toll in New Zealand stood at 113 with 228 still missing.

It's been confirmed two Brits were among the victims. One was named as Gregory Tobin, a 25-year-old chef, from Tadcaster in Yorkshire.