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Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

The 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence was extremely damaging to structures in Christchurch and continues to have a large economic and social impact on the city and surrounding regions. In addition to strong ground shaking (Bradley and Cubrinovski 2011 SRL; Bradley 2012 SDEE), extensive liquefaction was observed, particularly in the 4 September 2010 Darfield earthquake and the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake (Cubrinovski et al. 2010 BNZSEE; 2011 SRL). Large observed vertical ground motion amplitudes were recorded in the events in this sequence, with vertical peak ground accelerations of over 2.2g being observed at the Heathcote Valley Primary School during the Christchurch earthquake, and numerous other vertical motions exceeding 1.0g (Bradley and Cubrinovski 2011 SRL; Bradley 2012 SDEE; Fry et al 2011 SRL). Vertical peak ground accelerations of over 1.2g were observed in the Darfield earthquake.

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

The ground literally opened up! On the previously unknown faultline along which the Saturday 4 September 2010 earthquake originated.

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

The ground literally opened up! On the previously unknown faultline along which the Saturday 4 September 2010 earthquake originated.

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

The ground literally opened up! On the previously unknown faultline along which the Saturday 4 September 2010 earthquake originated.

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

The ground literally opened up! On the previously unknown faultline along which the Saturday 4 September 2010 earthquake originated.

Research papers, The University of Auckland Library

In the early morning of 4th September 2010 the region of Canterbury, New Zealand, was subjected to a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. The epicentre was located near the town of Darfield, 40 km west of the city of Christchurch. This was the country’s most damaging earthquake since the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake (GeoNet, 2010). Since 4th September 2010 the region has been subjected to thousands of aftershocks, including several more damaging events such as a magnitude 6.3 aftershock on 22nd February 2011. Although of a smaller magnitude, the earthquake on 22nd February produced peak ground accelerations in the Christchurch region three times greater than the 4th September earthquake and in some cases shaking intensities greater than twice the design level (GeoNet, 2011; IPENZ, 2011). While in September 2010 most earthquake shaking damage was limited to unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings, in February all types of buildings sustained damage. Temporary shoring and strengthening techniques applied to buildings following the Darfield earthquake were tested in February 2011. In addition, two large aftershocks occurred on 13th June 2011 (magnitudes 5.7 and 6.2), further damaging many already weakened structures. The damage to unreinforced and retrofitted clay brick masonry buildings in the 4th September 2010 Darfield earthquake has already been reported by Ingham and Griffith (2011) and Dizhur et al. (2010b). A brief review of damage from the 22nd February 2011 earthquake is presented here

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

At 4.35am on Saturday 4 September 2010, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck near the township of Darfield in Canterbury leading to widespread damage in Christchurch and the wider central Canterbury region. Though it was reported no lives were lost, that was not entirely correct. Over 3,000 animals perished as a result of the earthquake and 99% of these deaths would have been avoidable if appropriate mitigation measures had been in place. Deaths were predominantly due to zoological vulnerability of birds in captive production farms. Other problems included lack of provision of animal welfare at evacuation centres, issues associated with multiple lost and found pet services, evacuation failure due to pet separation and stress impact on dairy herds and associated milk production. The Canterbury Earthquake has highlighted concerns over a lack of animal emergency welfare planning and capacity in New Zealand, an issue that is being progressed by the National Animal Welfare Emergency Management Group. As animal emergency management becomes better understood by emergency management and veterinary professionals, it is more likely that both sectors will have greater demands placed upon them by national guidelines and community expectations to ensure provisions are made to afford protection of animals in times of disaster. A subsequent and more devastating earthquake struck the region on Monday 22 February 2011; this article however is primarily focused on the events pertaining to the September 4 event.

Images, Canterbury Museum

One multi-coloured soft-cover book entitled 'Quake: the Big Canterbury Earthquake of 2010' with colour photographs by David Wethey and text by Ian Stuart. ‘Quake: The Big Canterbury Earthquake of 2010’ contains aerial photographs of the damage to many major heritage sites in Canterbury between Kaiapoi and Darfield after the 4 September 2010 ear...

Videos, eqnz.chch.2010

At Greendale Faultline on Highfield Road in mid-Canterbury, where the magnitude 7.1 earthquake on 4 September 2010 originated.

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

Heaving and subsidence on the faultline left scars where the magnitude 7.1 earthquake on Saturday 4 September 2010 originated.

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

The latest (but temporary) tourist attraction in mid-Canterbury! This was the previously unknown faultline where the Saturday 4 September 2010 earthquake originated.

Videos, eqnz.chch.2010

At Greendale Faultline on Highfield Road in mid-Canterbury, where the magnitude 7.1 earthquake on 4 September 2010 originated.

Videos, eqnz.chch.2010

At Greendale Faultline on Highfield Road in mid-Canterbury, where the magnitude 7.1 earthquake on 4 September 2010 originated.

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

Tension cracks at least 300 mm deep, on the previously unknown faultline from which the Saturday 4 September 2010 earthquake originated.

Images, Canterbury Museum

One oblong perspex covered 3-D model of the fault plains associated with the 4 September 2010 Darfield earthquake; top of the model also acts as a map overlay. Geologists continue to study the 4 September 2010 earthquake and consider it is likely to have been a complex event with several faults rupturing simultaneously. This model provides one ...

Research papers, The University of Auckland Library

The region in and around Christchurch, encompassing Christchurch city and the Selwyn and Waimakariri districts, contains more than 800 road, rail, and pedestrian bridges. Most of these bridges are reinforced concrete, symmetric, and have small to moderate spans (15–25 m). The 22 February 2011 moment magnitude (Mw) 6.2 Christchurch earthquake induced high levels of localized ground shaking (Bradley and Cubrinovski 2011, page 853 of this issue; Guidotti et al. 2011, page 767 of this issue; Smyrou et al. 2011, page 882 of this issue), with damage to bridges mainly confined to the central and eastern parts of Christchurch. Liquefaction was evident over much of this part of the city, with lateral spreading affecting bridges spanning both the Avon and Heathcote rivers.

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

This paper provides an overview of the salient aspects of the dense array of ground motions observed in the 4 September 2010 Darfield and 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquakes. Particular attention is given to inferred physical reasons for the observed ground motions, which include: (i) source features such as forward directivity effects; (ii) The effects of the Canterbury Plains sedimentary basin on basin-generated surface waves, and waveguide effects through the region; and (iii) the importance of local site response as evidenced by observations of large long period amplification and liquefaction. The significance of vertical ground motion intensity is also examined.

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

Looking across the faultline where the Saturday 4 September 2010 magnitude 7.1 earthquake originated. Note how much the previously straight fence is now out of alignment.

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

Looking across the faultline where the Saturday 4 September 2010 magnitude 7.1 earthquake originated. Note how much the previously straight fence is now out of alignment.

Audio, Radio New Zealand

Deborah Nation recalls visits to Homebush, the historic Deans homestead near Darfield, the wreckage of which became one of the most viewed images in the first days after the September 2010 Canterbury earthquake.

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

The 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence began with the 4 September 2010, Mw7.1 Darfield earthquake and includes up to ten events that induced liquefaction. Most notably, widespread liquefaction was induced by the Darfield and Mw6.2 Christchurch earthquakes. The combination of well-documented liquefaction response during multiple events, densely recorded ground motions for the events, and detailed subsurface characterization provides an unprecedented opportunity to add well-documented case histories to the liquefaction database. This paper presents and applies 50 high-quality cone penetration test (CPT) liquefaction case histories to evaluate three commonly used, deterministic, CPT-based simplified liquefaction evaluation procedures. While all the procedures predicted the majority of the cases correctly, the procedure proposed by Idriss and Boulanger (2008) results in the lowest error index for the case histories analyzed, thus indicating better predictions of the observed liquefaction response.

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

On 4 September 2010 the Magnitude 7.1 'Darfield' Earthquake marked the beginning of the Canterbury earthquake sequence. The Darfield earthquake produced strong ground shaking throughout the centralCanterbury Plains, affecting rural areas, small towns and the city of Christchurch. The event produced a 29km long surface rupture through intensive farmland, causing localised flooding and liquefaction. The central Canterbury plains were subjected to a sustained period of thousands of aftershocks in the months after the Darfield earthquake. The primary sector is a major component of the in New Zealand economy. Business units are predominantly small family-run farm organisations, though there are increasing levels of corporate farming. The agribusiness sector contributes 20 per cent of real GDP and 47 per cent of total exports for New Zealand. Of the approximately 2,000 farms that are located in the Canterbury Plains, the most common farming sectors in the region are Mixed farming (mostly comprised of sheep and/or beef farming), Dairy farming, and Arable farming (cropping). Many farms on the Canterbury Plains require some form of irrigation and are increasingly capital intensive, reliant on built infrastructure, technology and critical services. Farms are of great significance to their local rural economies, with many rural non-farming organisations dependent on the health of local farming organisations. Despite the economic significance of the sector, there have been few, if any studies analysing how modern intensive farms are affected by earthquakes. The aim of this report is to (1) summarise the impacts the Darfield earthquake had on farming organisations and outline in general terms how farms are vulnerable to the effects of an earthquake; (2) identify what factors helped mitigate earthquake-related impacts. Data for this paper was collected through two surveys of farming and rural non-farming organisations following the earthquake and contextual interviews with affected organisations. In total, 78 organisations participated in the study (Figure 1). Farming organisations represented 72% (N=56) of the sample.

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

Slipping of the tectonic plates caused tension cracks on this previously unknown faultline that runs through this paddock; magnitude 7.1 earthquake in mid-Canterbury on Saturday 4 September 2010.