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
A partially-completed map showing the locations of demolished and condemned buildings.
A digitally manipulated photograph of the Gap Filler logo.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Eileen Woolf and her husband Bevin are now living in a caravan and motor home on their front lawn after the September 4 M7.1 earthquake has left their Pine Beach home unlivable".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Eileen Woolf and her husband Bevin are now living in a caravan and motor home on their front lawn after the September 4 M7.1 earthquake has left their Pine Beach home unlivable".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Owners Sina Seng (L) and Cheu Tek Ung of the 'T Bakery' which closed for five weeks after the Christchurch September 4 magnitude 7.1 earthquake says business has been quiet since they re-opened".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Owners Sina Seng (L) and Cheu Tek Ung of the 'T Bakery' which closed for five weeks after the Christchurch September 4 magnitude 7.1 earthquake says business has been quiet since they re-opened".
Cats, dogs, horses, parrots, rats, hedgehogs and turtles. Just like people, these animals were affected by the earthquakes in Christchurch. And two researchers have published a new book into just how big the impact of the September 2010 and February 2011 earthquakes were. 'Animals in Emergencies: Learning from the Christchurch Earthquakes' is co-authored by Canterbury University's associate professor Annie Potts, and former veterinary nurse Donelle Gadenne.
Broken windows on Leicester House. Broken filing cabinets and other fittings lie on the ground in front of the building. The photographer comments, "As you can see the game did not last very long".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "National Party MP for the Eastern Christchurch region Aaron Gilmore with the Minister of Interbal Affairs Nathan Guy at the fire fighters' celebration awards gathering. Fire fighters were commended for their efforts during the 4 September earthquake".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "St John's Church in Hororata is up for an expensive repair bill after it was badly damaged in the September 4 earthquake. Workers check out the damaged tower by crane as they decide where to start saving the church. Vicar Jenni Carter records the event".
A digitally manipulated image of two stained glass windows. The photographer comments, "This is an abstract of the stained glass window of St Peter's Church in Christchurch, New Zealand. The church was seriously damaged in the Christchurch earthquake".
Earthquake Minister Gerry Brownlee trundles heavily through debris left after the Canterbury earthquake of 4th September 2010. An engineer tells him to 'Tread lightly' as they 'don't want any more aftershocks..' Gerry Brownlee is not a slight man. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The cartoon shows the name 'Christchurch' shaking so that bits fly off it; the letters 'H', 'I', and 'T' spelling 'hit' are the only ones not shaking. A second version has the words 'Rock'n Roll' as a title. Refers to the earthquake of 4th September 2010 and its hundreds of aftershocks which continue on now into November. Two versions of this cartoon are available Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
A video of an interview with Bruce Greenhalgh about the experiences of Smiths Sports Shoes after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. The business had to move from Moorhouse Avenue after the 4 September 2010 earthquake to Montreal Street. The 22 February 2011 earthquake then damaged their building on Montreal Street, forcing them to move again.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Give Enterprise a Life Line business meeting in the Christchurch Town Hall re: the aftermath of the 4 September earthquake. Judi Tardi speaking. Those listening are (from left): Garth Snell, Mark Lee, Tom Fuller, Mathew Carpenter and Brendon Burns".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch, Sydenham Christmas shop. 'Christmas Jones' is among the September 4 M7.1 earthquake-hit block of shops. Owner Mike Jones pictured with his partner Megan Simpson (L) says business is slow, but he is staying open".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch, Sydenham Christmas shop. 'Christmas Jones' is among the September 4 M7.1 earthquake-hit block of shops. Owner Mike Jones pictured with his partner Megan Simpson (L) says business is slow, but he is staying open".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Gunyah homestead was badly damaged during the September 4th 2010 earthquake, but the Cotterill family are picking up the pieces and rebuilding. Builders repair the master bedroom where a large brick chimney came through the room narrowly missing the Cotterills and totally obliterating their bed".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Gunyah homestead was badly damaged during the September 4th 2010 earthquake, but the Cottrell family are picking up the pieces and rebuilding. Master bedroom where a large brick chimney fell through the roof crushing the bed where William and Simonetta Cottrell had been sleeping moments before".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Gunyah homestead was badly damaged during the September 4th 2010 earthquake, but the Cotterill family are picking up the pieces and rebuilding. Builders repair the master bedroom where a large brick chimney came through the room narrowly missing the Cotterills and totally obliterating their bed".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Gunyah homestead was badly damaged during the September 4th 2010 earthquake, but the Cottrell family are picking up the pieces and rebuilding. Master bedroom where a large brick chimney fell through the roof crushing the bed where William and Simonetta Cottrell had been sleeping moments before".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Gunyah homestead was badly damaged during the September 4th 2010 earthquake, but the Cottrell family are picking up the pieces and rebuilding. Master bedroom where a large brick chimney fell through the roof crushing the bed where William and Simonetta Cottrell had been sleeping moments before".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Gunyah homestead was badly damaged during the September 4th 2010 earthquake, but the Cottrell family are picking up the pieces and rebuilding. Master bedroom where a large brick chimney fell through the roof crushing the bed where William and Simonetta Cottrell had been sleeping moments before".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Gunyah homestead was badly damaged during the September 4th 2010 earthquake, but the Cottrell family are picking up the pieces and rebuilding. Master bedroom where a large brick chimney fell through the roof crushing the bed where William and Simonetta Cottrell had been sleeping moments before".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Gunyah homestead was badly damaged during the September 4th 2010 earthquake, but the Cottrell family are picking up the pieces and rebuilding. Master bedroom where a large brick chimney fell through the roof crushing the bed where William and Simonetta Cottrell had been sleeping moments before".
A digitally manipulated photograph of the badly twisted Medway Street footbridge. The photographer comments, "This bridge over the Avon River in Christchurch, New Zealand has been left in place since the first major earthquake back in September 2010. Graffiti artists or taggers are still leaving their marks on it even though it is nearly twisted at 90 degrees at one point".
Two men chat over the fence about the state of their houses after the 4th September earthquake in Christchurch. One of them is complaining about the slow pace of reconstruction of houses after the magnitude 7.1 earthquake on 4 September 2010; the second man thinks they are doing their best. Context - Frustration over the slow rate of processing insurance applications and building inspections after the magnitude 7.1 earthquake on 4 September 2010 which although it resulted in a lot of damage, no-one died. In the cartoon the man's red sticker (meaning the house is uninhabitable) has faded to green after being put on the house after the September earthquake. Three days after this cartoon was published the much more disastrous earthquake of the 22nd February struck and many people died. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Cosmo Kentish-Barnes finds out how the rural recovery is going near the epicentre of the Canterbury Earthquake that shook the province in the early hours of September 4th.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The new Christchurch Council building has suffered only cosmetic damage in the September 4th earthquake. Executive staff members whose offices are on the 5th and 6th floors now have temporary offices in the mezzanine level in the foyer".