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Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

On 4 September 2010, a magnitude Mw 7.1 earthquake struck the Canterbury region on the South Island of New Zealand. The epicentre of the earthquake was located in the Darfield area about 40 km west of the city of Christchurch. Extensive damage was inflicted to lifelines and residential houses due to widespread liquefaction and lateral spreading in areas close to major streams, rivers and wetlands throughout Christchurch and Kaiapoi. Unreinforced masonry buildings also suffered extensive damage throughout the region. Despite the severe damage to infrastructure and residential houses, fortunately, no deaths occurred and only two injuries were reported in this earthquake. From an engineering viewpoint, one may argue that the most significant aspects of the 2010 Darfield Earthquake were geotechnical in nature, with liquefaction and lateral spreading being the principal culprits for the inflicted damage. Following the earthquake, an intensive geotechnical reconnaissance was conducted to capture evidence and perishable data from this event. This paper summarizes the observations and preliminary findings from this early reconnaissance work.

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

Among the deformation features produced in Christchurch by the September 4th Darfield Earthquake were numerous and widespread “sand volcanoes”. Most of these structures occurred in urban settings and “erupted” through a hardened surface of concrete or tarseal, or soil. Sand volcanoes were also widespread in the Avon‐ Heathcote Estuary and offered an excellent opportunity to readily examine shallow subsurface profiles and as such the potential appearance of such structures in the rock record.

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

One Month after the Christchurch Earthquake. The mangled remains of the pedestrian bridge over the river Avon Twitter | Facebook | My ...

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

One Month after the Christchurch Earthquake. The mangled remains of the pedestrian bridge over the river Avon Twitter | Facebook | My ...

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

One Month after the Christchurch Earthquake. The remains of a Church in St albans, Edgeware Rd Twitter | Facebook | My Website | <...

Images, Alexander Turnbull Library

The Queen tells Prince Philip that she has received a 'Dear John' letter from PM John Key and that it 'seems the earth has moved for him back in NZ'. Text above reads 'Keynote'. In a second version the queen says that John Key 'preferred to stay at home 'cos the earth moved'. A third version refers to the decision of the PM to remain in New Zealand because of the Christchurch earthquake instead of going on a trip to Europe with his wife during which they were to have stayed at the invitation of the Queen at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Quantity: 3 digital cartoon(s).

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

One Month after the Christchurch Earthquake. This is in Kaiapoi at the north end of Christchurch. A view down the walkway next to the river Twitter | Facebook |

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

This is the pedestrian bridge in Kaiapoi close to Christchurch. Not the best angle but the whole bridge on the right hand side is twisted and looks like some kind of rollercoaster. Taken one month after the Quake Twitter |

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

There are quite a few signs like this around Christchurch after the Quake. This is one of them. Off shot to the right is a leveled patch of ground where the owners furniture restoration shop used to be. Twitter |

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

This paper presents the probabilistic seismic performance and loss assessment of an actual bridge– foundation–soil system, the Fitzgerald Avenue twin bridges in Christchurch, New Zealand. A two-dimensional finite element model of the longitudinal direction of the system is modelled using advanced soil and structural constitutive models. Ground motions at multiple levels of intensity are selected based on the seismic hazard deaggregation at the site. Based on rigorous examination of several deterministic analyses, engineering demand parameters (EDP’s), which capture the global and local demand, and consequent damage to the bridge and foundation are determined. A probabilistic seismic loss assessment of the structure considering both direct repair and loss of functionality consequences was performed to holistically assess the seismi risk of the system. It was found that the non-horizontal stratification of the soils, liquefaction, and soil–structure interaction had pronounced effects on the seismic demand distribution of the bridge components, of which the north abutment piles and central pier were critical in the systems seismic performance. The consequences due to loss of functionality of the bridge during repair were significantly larger than the direct repair costs, with over a 2% in 50 year probability of the total loss exceeding twice the book-value of the structure.

Manuscripts, Alexander Turnbull Library

A preliminary report with findings from an internet survey conducted in the Christchurch region in the days following the Darfield earthquake. Includes eyewitness accounts of alleged earthquake precursors, such as earthquake lights, atmospheric changes, human responses and erratic animal behaviour. Quantity: 1 Electronic document(s). Provenance: The donor provided the following information: In connection with the M7.1 earthquake at Darfield, September 4th, we collected many accounts of alleged precursors via an internet survey. The resulting report is attached. It is an interesting historical document and you might consider adding it to the National LIbrary collection in some form. About 100 copies have been distributed to those who asked for it. There is no official printed form, it is digital only. The report forms the basis of a scientific paper in preparation but it is already apparent that much of the quoted accounts from survey respondents will have to be left out. The report itself will therefore remain a useful document. We plan to submit the scientific paper to Natural Hazards and Earth Science Systems in due course. The report and paper confirm that some real precursors do exist, but cannot be more specific about causes.