Active faults capable of generating highly damaging earthquakes may not cause surface rupture (i.e., blind faults) or cause surface ruptures that evade detection due to subsequent burial or erosion by surface processes. Fault populations and earthquake frequency-‐magnitude distributions adhere to power laws, implying that faults too small to cause surface rupture but large enough to cause localized strong ground shaking densely populate continental crust. The rupture of blind, previously undetected faults beneath Christchurch, New Zealand in a suite of earthquakes in 2010 and 2011, including the fatal 22 February 2011 moment magnitude (Mw) 6.2 Christchurch earthquake and other large aftershocks, caused a variety of environmental impacts, including major rockfall, severe liquefaction, and differential surface uplift and subsidence. All of these effects occurred where geologic evidence for penultimate effects of the same nature existed. To what extent could the geologic record have been used to infer the presence of proximal, blind and / or unidentified faults near Christchurch? In this instance, we argue that phenomena induced by high intensity shaking, such as rock fragmentation and rockfall, revealed the presence of proximal active faults in the Christchurch area prior to the recent earthquake sequence. Development of robust earthquake shaking proxy datasets should become a higher scientific priority, particularly in populated regions.
Thousands of residents living in homes made vulnerable to flooding and liquefaction by the Christchurch earthquakes will find out today how they'll be compensated.
Staying with earthquakes and three years on from the deadly quake in Christchurch an increasing number of children are turning to counselling services for help.
Christchurch residents whose houses have sunk since the earthquakes want to know who will pay to raise and remediate their land to prevent flood risk.
The Labour Party wrapped up its Canterbury Recovery Package in Christchurch today, announcing it would appoint qualified locals to govern the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority.
The Earthquake Recovery Minister says Christchurch City Council must take responsibility for the city's flooding problems as it's not the government's problem to sort out.
The EQC has got the green light to start settling the claims of thousands of Christchurch people whose homes became more at risk of flooding after the earthquakes.
Lyttelton singer-songwriter Adam McGrath talks about songwriting, free concerts after the Christchurch earthquakes, and lending his song - and its title - to TV mini-series Hope and Wire.
The man who designed the CTV building that collapsed in the Christchurch earthquake has effectively scuttled any investigation into him by the Institution of Professional Engineers.
A photograph of street art on the wall of AJ Creative Glass.
In Christchurch today the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took time to talk to some of the families of those who died in the February 2011 earthquake.
Peter Marshall is managing director of architectural firm Warren and Mahoney, part of the team selected to carry out the task of the redesign of Christchurch after the earthquakes.
A video of an address by Mike Underhill, Chief Executive of Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority (EECA), at the 2014 Seismics and the City forum. This talk was part of the Building Innovation section.
A video of an address by Andre Lovatt, CEO of the Arts Centre, at the 2014 Seismics and the City forum. This talk was part of the Building Innovation section.
The Catholic Cathedral is classified as a category 1 listed heritage building constructed largely of unreinforced stone masonry, and was significantly damaged in the recent Canterbury earthquakes of 2010 and 2011. In the 2010 event the building presented slight to moderta damage, meanwhile in the 2011 one experienced ground shaking in excess of its capacity leading to block failures and partial collapse of parts of the building, which left the building standing but still posing a significant hazard. In this paper we discuss the approach to develop the earthquake analysis of the building by 3D numerical simulations, and the results are compared/calibrated with the observed damage of the 2010 earthquake. Very accurate records were obtained during both earthquakes due to a record station located least than 80 m of distance from the building and used in the simulations. Moreover it is included in the model the soil structure interaction because it was observed that the ground and foundation played an important role on the seismic behavior of the structure. A very good agreement was found between the real observed damage and the nonlinear dynamic simulations described trough inelastic deformation (cracking) and building´s performance.
The disastrous earthquakes that struck Christchurch in 2010 and 2011 seriously impacted on the individual and collective lives of Māori residents. This paper continues earlier, predominantly qualitative research on the immediate effects on Māori by presenting an analysis of a survey carried out 18 months after the most destructive event, on 22 February 2011. Using a set-theoretic approach, pathways to Māori resilience are identified, emphasising the combination of whānau connectivity and high incomes in those who have maintained or increased their wellbeing post-disaster. However, the results show that if resilience is used to describe a “bounce back” in wellbeing, Māori are primarily enduring the post-disaster environment. This endurance phase is a precursor to any resilience and will be of much longer duration than first thought. With continued uncertainty in the city and wider New Zealand economy, this endurance may not necessarily lead to a more secure environment for Māori in the city.
The progressive damage and subsequent demolition of unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings arising from the Canterbury earthquake sequence is reported. A dataset was compiled of all URM buildings located within the Christchurch CBD, including information on location, building characteristics, and damage levels after each major earthquake in this sequence. A general description of the overall damage and the hazard to both building occupants and to nearby pedestrians due to debris falling from URM buildings is presented with several case study buildings used to describe the accumulation of damage over the earthquake sequence. The benefit of seismic improvement techniques that had been installed to URM buildings is shown by the reduced damage ratios reported for increased levels of retrofit. Demolition statistics for URM buildings in the Christchurch CBD are also reported and discussed. VoR - Version of Record
A video made as part of Julia Holden's Boosted funding campaign. The campaign aimed to get five of Julia's paintings of post-quake Christchurch onto billboards in Auckland.
The repair of Christchurch's earthquake damaged arts centre has revealed details hidden from view for forty years including a badminton court and the site of an old swimming pool.
A book written by two Christchurch women to help the region's children deal with the stress of the earthquakes has been endorsed by the director of Civil Defence, John Hamilton.
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A pdf copy of an email sent to the participants in a One Voice Te Reo Kotahi forum held on 10 March 2014. OVTRK report that the email was sent to Arihia Bennett, the Chief Executive Officer of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel, Waimakariri Mayor David Ayers, Selwyn District Councillor Malcolm Lyall, and Dame Margaret Bazley, Chair of Environment Canterbury.
Some of the men and women who risked their lives to save others in the aftermath of the February 2011 earthquakes in Christchurch have been recognised for their bravery.
Professional and personal partners Victoria Flight and John Drew about the nutritional benefits of coconut oil, and the decision to develop their business 'Blue Coconut' after experiencing a deeply traumatic event in Christchurch's earthquake of February 2011.
Police link a West Coast attack on two tourists with the death of another woman in Christchurch. A swarm of earthquakes in Hawkes Bay and Teina Pora will be released on parole.
Christchurch people who have had to battle insurance companies over the repair or rebuild of earthquake damaged homes are welcoming the Labour party's idea of an earthquake court to settle disputes.
About the Network (AvON) and its plans to create a park and reserve in the Christchurch red zone around the Avon River. Includes resources and information about its projects.
A video of an address by Dr. Rod Carr, Vice Chancellor of the University of Canterbury, at the 2014 Seismics and the City forum. This talk was part of the Building Innovation section.
A video of an address by David Freeman-Greene, General Manager for Commercial at Orion, at the 2014 Seismics and the City forum. This talk was part of the Building Innovation section.
A video of an address by Dr. Andrew West, Vice Chancellor of Lincoln University, at the 2014 Seismics and the City forum. This talk was part of the Building Innovation section.