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Images, UC QuakeStudies

A fallen branch caught in weeds in the River Styx. The photographer comments, "This branch was broken off during one of the recent Christchurch earthquakes and fell into the River Styx. Now one side has sprouted roots and the other new buds".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A 'sand volcano' of liquefaction silt. The photograph has been rotated 180 degrees. The photographer comments, "This could be just a horrible hole caused by liquefaction pouring out of a hole after the Christchurch earthquake in January, but turn it upside down and it becomes an outcrop on the floor of an unseen tidal estuary".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Close up of an oven element which has blown and partly melted. The photographer comments, "After the Christchurch earthquake on the 22 February we had no power for about 4 days. We finally got electricity again from the electricity companies' mobile generator the size of a big van. We turned on the oven and there was a loud vibrating hum and this was the result".

Research papers, Lincoln University

The recent earthquakes in Canterbury have left thousands of Christchurch residents’ homeless or facing the possibility of homelessness. The New Zealand Government, so far, have announced that 5,100 homes in Christchurch will have to be abandoned as a result of earthquake damaged land (Christchurch City Council, 2011). They have been zoned red on the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) map and there are another 10,000 that have been zoned orange, awaiting a decision (Christchurch City Council, 2011). This situation has placed pressures on land developers and local authorities to speed up the process associated with the development of proposed subdivisions in Christchurch to accommodate residents in this situation (Tarrant, 2011).

Research papers, The University of Auckland Library

The 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquakes have provided a unique opportunity to investigate the seismic performance of both traditional and modern buildings constructed in New Zealand. It is critical that the observed performance is examined and compared against the expected levels of performance that are outlined by the Building Code and Design Standards. In particular, in recent years there has been a significant amount of research into the seismic behaviour of precast concrete floor systems and the robustness of the support connections as a building deforms during an earthquake. An investigation of precast concrete floor systems in Christchurch has been undertaken to assess both the performance of traditional and current design practice. The observed performance for each type of precast floor unit was collated from a number of post-earthquake recognisance activities and compared against the expected performance determined for previous experimental testing and analysis. Possible reasons for both the observed damage, and in some cases the lack of damage, were identified. This critical review of precast concrete floor systems will assist in determining the success of current design practice as well as identify any areas that require further research and/or changes to design standards.

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

The 22nd February 2011, Mw 6.3 Christchurch earthquake in New Zealand caused major damage to critical infrastructure, including the healthcare system. The Natural Hazard Platform of NZ funded a short-term project called “Hospital Functions and Services” to support the Canterbury District Health Board’s (CDHB) efforts in capturing standardized data that describe the effects of the earthquake on the Canterbury region’s main hospital system. The project utilised a survey tool originally developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) to assess the loss of function of hospitals in the Maule and Bío-Bío regions following the 27th February 2010, Mw 8.8 Maule earthquake in Chile. This paper describes the application of the JHU tool for surveying the impact of Christchurch earthquake on the CDHB Hospital System, including the system’s residual capacity to deliver emergency response and health care. A short summary of the impact of the Christchurch earthquake on other CDHB public and private hospitals is also provided. This study demonstrates that, as was observed in other earthquakes around the world, the effects of damage to non-structural building components, equipment, utility lifelines, and transportation were far more disruptive than the minor structural damage observed in buildings (FEMA 2007). Earthquake related complications with re-supply and other organizational aspects also impacted the emergency response and the healthcare facilities’ residual capacity to deliver services in the short and long terms.

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

The 22 February 2011, Mw6.2 Christchurch earthquake is the most costly earthquake to affect New Zealand, causing an estimated 181 fatalities and severely damaging thousands of residential and commercial buildings. This paper presents a summary of some of the observations made by the NSF-sponsored GEER Team regarding the geotechnical/geologic aspects of this earthquake. The Team focused on documenting the occurrence and severity of liquefaction and lateral spreading, performance of building and bridge foundations, buried pipelines and levees, and significant rockfalls and landslides. Liquefaction was pervasive and caused extensive damage to residential properties, water and wastewater networks, high-rise buildings, and bridges. Entire neighborhoods subsided, resulting in flooding that caused further damage. Additionally, liquefaction and lateral spreading resulted in damage to bridges and to stretches of levees along the Waimakariri and Kaiapoi Rivers. Rockfalls and landslides in the Port Hills damaged several homes and caused several fatalities.

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

The Canterbury earthquake sequence in New Zealand’s South Island induced widespread liquefaction phenomena across the Christchurch urban area on four occasions (4 Sept 2010; 22 Feb; 13 June; 23 Dec 2011), that resulted in widespread ejection of silt and fine sand. This impacted transport networks as well as infiltrated and contaminated the damaged storm water system, making rapid clean-up an immediate post-earthquake priority. In some places the ejecta was contaminated by raw sewage and was readily remobilised in dry windy conditions, creating a long-term health risk to the population. Thousands of residential properties were inundated with liquefaction ejecta, however residents typically lacked the capacity (time or resources) to clean-up without external assistance. The liquefaction silt clean-up response was co-ordinated by the Christchurch City Council and executed by a network of contractors and volunteer groups, including the ‘Farmy-Army’ and the ‘Student-Army’. The duration of clean-up time of residential properties and the road network was approximately 2 months for each of the 3 main liquefaction inducing earthquakes; despite each event producing different volumes of ejecta. Preliminary cost estimates indicate total clean-up costs will be over NZ$25 million. Over 500,000 tonnes of ejecta has been stockpiled at Burwood landfill since the beginning of the Canterbury earthquakes sequence. The liquefaction clean-up experience in Christchurch following the 2010-2011 earthquake sequence has emerged as a valuable case study to support further analysis and research on the coordination, management and costs of large volume deposition of fine grained sediment in urban areas.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A digitally manipulated image of a mannequin. The photographer comments, "During the Christchurch earthquake on 22 February 2011 a lot of people were seriously injured or killed because they run out of buildings. Falling masonry from the exterior of the buildings hit them, but if they had remained inside they would have probably been perfectly safe".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A damaged house perched on the edge of the cliffs above Sumner. The photographer comments, "This house has slowly gone over the edge since the big earthquake in Christchurch in February 2011. Subsequent earthquakes has caused the rock face to crumble more and more".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A digitally manipulated image of a poster advertising a performance in New Brighton by bands Mynor Star, Reflekshun and Loaded Victim. The photographer comments, "The Bar 25 had this night of rock on the 18 December 2011, but the earthquake on December 23 just off of the coast close by got it shut down".

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A digitally manipulated image of the Bandsmen's Memorial in Hagley Park. The photographer comments, "This memorial in Hagley Park in Christchurch can no longer be used due to large cracks at the base of most columns. This was mostly caused by the earthquake in February 2011, but later earthquakes have made the memorial even more dangerous".

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Martin van Beynen is an award-winning journalist with the Christchurch newspaper The Press. His book, 'Trapped: Remarkable Stories of Survival from the 2011 Canterbury Earthquake' documents the experiences of 23 survivors.

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video about the restoration of New Regent Street. New Regent Street was damaged during the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The video includes an interview with Edward Leeson, manager of the restoration project.