http://en.wikipedia.

org/wiki/2010_Canterbury_earthq uake
The 2010 Canterbury earthquake (also known as the Christchurch earthquake or Darfield earthquake) was a 7.1 magnitudeearthquake, which struck the South Island of New Zealand at 4:35 am on 4 September 2010 local time (16:35 3 September UTC). The quake caused widespread damage and several power outages, particularly in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand's second largest city. two residents were seriously injured, one by a collapsing chimney and a second by flying glass. One person died of a heart attack suffered during the quake, although this could not be directly linked to the earthquake. Mass fatalities were avoided partly due to there being few houses of unreinforced construction, although this was also aided by the quake occurring during the night when most people were off the street. The earthquake's epicentre was 40 kilometres (25 mi) west of Christchurch,[11] near the town of Darfield. The hypocentre was at a shallow depth of 10 km.[1] A foreshock of roughly magnitude 5.8 hit five seconds before the main quake,[12] and strong aftershocks have been reported, up to magnitude 6.3.The initial quake lasted about 40 seconds,[7] and was felt widely across the South Island, and in the North Island as far north as New Plymouth.[15] As the epicentre was on land away from the coast, no tsunami occurred.[11] The National Crisis Management Centre in the basement of the Beehive in Wellington was activated, and Civil Defence declared a state of emergency for Christchurch, the Selwyn District, and the Waimakariri District, while Selwyn District, Waimakariri and Timaru activated their emergency operation centres.[16] Initially, a curfew was established for parts of Christchurch Central City from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am in response to the earthquake. The New Zealand Army was deployed to the worst affected areas within Canterbury.[8]

Liquefaction
A feature of the quake was the damage caused by soil liquefaction. This was particularly the case in the riverside areas of Avonside, Dallington, Burwood, Avondale, and Kaiapoi, and in river delta areas near Bexley, Brooklands, Spencerville, Pines Beach, and Kairaki with other areas being affected to a substantially lesser degree or not at all.[43] Damage from liquefaction may have been worsened by the high water table from a wet winter.[112] Liquefaction can also cause buried pipes to float up to the surface. This has caused problems for the gravity-fed sewer system, which may need to be completely rebuilt in some areas.[113] While the problem had long been well understood by planners,[114][115][116] it is not clear that the public understood it as well, or that it widely influenced development, buying or building decisions.[117] Liquefaction risk at the Pegasus Town site was identified in 2005, so the developers spent approximately $20 million on soil compaction, and the ground there held firm during the quake.

http://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/quakes/33661 46g.html
New Zealand Earthquake Report - Sep 4 2010 at 4:35 am (NZST)
Magnitude 7.1, Saturday, September 4 2010 at 4:35 am (NZST), 40 km west of Christchurch.

Quake Details
Information about this earthquake:

Reference Number Universal Time NZ Standard Time Latitude, Longitude Focal Depth Moment magnitude Region Location

3366146 September 3 2010 at 16:35 Saturday, September 4 2010 at 4:35 am 43.55S, 172.17E 11 km 7.1 Canterbury 10 km south-east of Darfield 20 km south-east of Coalgate 40 km west of Christchurch

Widely felt throughout New Zealand. Note: the location, magnitude and depth have been revised. Did you feel this earthquake? We would appreciate it if you could fill out a GeoNet Felt Earthquake Report and let us know of your experiences. Earthquake information last modified: 2010 Oct 07 21:47 (UT).

Scientists have been collecting and analysing data since the earthquake and now have a better understanding of the nature of the earthquake and its effects.

http://www.rebuildchristchurch.co.nz/blog/2011/1/4september-earthquake-factsheet
However, there is still much to be learnt over the coming months and years.

The earthquake was relatively complex, involving movement on at least three interconnected faults under the
Canterbury Plains. The largest of these faults ruptured through to the ground surface, creating a 29 km long east-west running scarp between the Hororata River and Railway Road near Rolleston. This fault has been named the Greendale Fault.

The Greendale Fault was unknown before the earthquake because it was buried under the gravels of the plains. It is
thought to be the first time that this fault has moved in several thousand years. It is highly unlikely to move again within the next several thousand years.

Movement on the faults that caused the earthquake also placed stress on the rocks around the faults, and particularly
at the ends of the faults. Aftershocks happen as the rock readjusts to this movement. This readjustment takes some time, so aftershocks generally continue for some months after a big earthquake, especially in areas where the Earths crust is very strong, as it is under mid Canterbury.

 The aftershocks have become less frequent as expected, and this trend will continue. However, it is still likely that we
will experience occasional earthquakes around magnitude 4 and possibly some earthquakes around magnitude 5 into 2011. This is normal and expected for an earthquake of this size. There are still quite a few smaller earthquakes around magnitude 2 and 3 occurring. Many of these are relatively shallow so are felt by those in the immediate area. The chances of an aftershock of around magnitude 6 are now very low.

The aftershocks should not delay rebuilding and repair, but insurers will need to make decisions on when to undertake
finishing work such as plastering and painting to minimise the chances of further damage. Earthquake activity elsewhere in New Zealand following the earthquake appears to be normal. The chance of another big earthquake on another fault in the central South Island is not likely to have changed significantly we still need to be prepared for earthquakes, just as we did before September 4.

There was no tsunami associated with the earthquake because it happened on land, and involved no displacement of
the sea floor. Offshore aftershocks are too small to generate a tsunami. Banks Peninsula is an extinct volcano and the earthquake activity is not related to it. Liquefaction occurred during the earthquake in some specific areas where there were saturated, unconsolidated (loose) soils. This caused water and silt or sand to be ejected to the ground surface, resulting in subsidence and, in places, lateral spreading (sideways movement) of the ground. This has led to damage to houses and underground services.

In general, liquefaction occurred in areas known to be susceptible. However, because soil properties vary greatly
across the greater Christchurch area, and different earthquakes have different ground shaking patterns, it is very difficult to predict exactly where liquefaction will occur in a particular earthquake. Land movement and subsidence in areas affected by liquefaction and lateral spreading has generally ceased as water pressures within the soil have mostly returned to normal. This means that the soils have regained most of the strength that they lost during liquefaction, but the level of the ground surface has changed in many areas and may need to be re levelled. Liquefaction itself does not improve the ground strength. If liquefaction has occurred in a particular location it can happen again in that location in another earthquake if the ground is not treated.

Geotechnical engineers are currently studying where liquefaction did and didnt occur in this earthquake and why. The
results of these studies will be incorporated into revised liquefaction susceptibility maps for greater Christchurch over the next 12-18 months.

The type of land repairs and strengthening in areas affected by liquefaction and lateral spreading will vary depending
on the area. The dams that are proposed for some areas are not continuous dams in the ground, but are zones of closely spaced columns or piles under the ground. They are designed to reduce the likelihood of liquefaction and lateral spreading in future earthquakes, and will be completely underground they will not be visible at the ground surface.

Parts of the Waimakariri River stopbank system downstream of State Highway 1 were damaged during the earthquake.
A programme of repairs is now being undertaken by Environment Canterbury staff and 1 in 30 year protection is now in place. Environment Canterbury is aiming to have the stopbank system back to 1 in 500 year protection by March 2011, but this will depend on whether hidden damage is discovered as repairs continue. Flood protection upstream of State Highway 1 has not been compromised and remains at 1 in 500 years. Damage to the Kaiapoi River stopbanks is due to be completed by Christmas.

Liquefaction and lateral spreading within the Halswell catchment has affected the capacity of the Halswell river and
drainage system. Environment Canterbury staff are currently dredging the worst affected parts of the Halswell River channel and digging out side drains, and will move on to stabilising river banks. The Halswell Drainage District Liaison Committee has recommended full restoration of the system, which will take around three years to complete.

The level of flood protection on the Avon River has not been significantly affected by the earthquake. Christchurch City
Council investigations show that the risk of flooding from the Avon and Heathcote rivers is no greater than before the earthquake. However, heavy rainfall could cause localised surface flooding in areas affected by liquefaction because of damage to stormwater systems.

Water quality in rivers and estuaries is now essentially back to pre-earthquake levels. However, Environment
Canterbury still advises people not to swim in rivers or estuaries for 48 hours after rainfall, because of damage to stormwater systems.

 Water flows in spring fed streams are higher than usual for this time of year, although this may be mostly due to the wet
winter we had. Groundwater levels declined after the earthquake in some areas (mostly the shallow coastal aquifer) and increased in other areas. Some of these variations are still being observed and Environment Canterbury is continuing to monitor changes. There are a number of reports of changes in well yields, which could be due to well damage or changes in aquifers. People that are noticing problems with their wells are encouraged to report these to Environment Canterbury.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/christchurchearthquake/news/article.cfm? c_id=1502981&objectid=10708024
The earthquake was magnitude 6.3 and struck at a depth of 5km, 10km south-east of Christchurch CBD. It was shallower and closer to Christchurch than the 7.1 magnitude quake on September 4, which was recorded at a depth of 10km, near Darfield. Three Geonet monitors in the Christchurch CBD recorded much worse ground shaking than was felt during the original September 4 quake. It was expected to have caused a fissure in the ground under its epicentre in Lyttelton. The quake has caused devastation. Emergency services are reporting multiple fatalities, serious injuries and extensive structural damage to buildings. Hospitals throughout the South Island have been cleared to take in a flood of patients from Christchurch. Fires are breaking out in the city centre. Reports are still emerging about people who remain trapped. The iconic Christchurch Cathedral, which survived the original September 4 quake, has collapsed. Hospitals throughout the South Island have been cleared to take in a flood of patients from Christchurch.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepa cific/newzealand/8339819/Christchurch-devastated-by-majorearthquake.html
The shallow and 6.3 earthquake struck in the Canterbury region, 6 miles to the west of the city, in the middle of the day, when office blocks and shopping malls in the city centre were bustling with people. Police warned there would be "multiple fatalities" throughout the region and the fire service said numerous people were trapped and that two buses had been crushed. There were reports of bodied being pulled from a YHA and bookshop in the city. The power of the quake, which was far more violent one that struck the city in September, caused the cathedral's spire in the centre of Christchurch to crumble and knocked out phone lines. Several large building were reduced to piles of twisted debris, pipes burst across the city and large holes had appeared in roads. The city's hospital and airport were evacuated and dozens of shocked and injured residents gathered in open spaces as alarms and sirens sounded across the city. There were scenes of confusion and chaos as police tried to get people out of the city centre as the earth continued to shake during several strong aftershocks.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=49417
At 12:51 p.m. local time on February 22, 2011 (11:51 p.m. February 21 UTC), a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the South Island of New Zealand, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported. Several smaller aftershocks followed. The quake occurred near the city of Christchurch, a community of some 400,000 residents on the east coast. The initial death toll was 65, according to news reports, and authorities warned that the toll could rise sharply as search-and-rescue efforts continued. This map shows the earthquakes that occurred near Christchurch since September 3, 2010. On that day a magnitude 7.1 quake struck to the west of Christchurch. Black circles represent earthquakes from

September 3, 2010, until February 21, 2011. Red circles show the locations of the magnitude 6.3 quake and aftershocks on February 22 and the morning of February 23. Larger circles represent stronger earthquakes. Yellow shows urban areas, including Christchurch. The USGS characterized the 6.3-magnitude quake on February 22 as an aftershock of the quake that struck to the west, in Darfield, New Zealand, on September 3, 2010. Darfield lies about 50 kilometers (30 miles) west-northwest of Christchurch. Although no specific tectonic structure linked the two events, numerous aftershocks of the September quake occurred along a roughly east-west line, as this image indicates. The USGS stated that the quakes were associated with regional tectonic plate boundary deformation. The Pacific Plate and the Australia Plate interact under the South Island of New Zealand. The Darfield earthquake in September 2010 caused no casualties, even though it had a higher magnitude. Besides striking closer to a major population center, the 6.3-magnitude Christchurch earthquake had a depth of just 5 kilometers (3 miles). The New Zealand Herald reported that, whereas the Darfield quake happened in the early morning hours, the February 22 quake struck at the worst possible time of day at the lunch hour when city streets were crowded with shoppers, diners, office workers, and school children. Moreover, some of the buildings that collapsed may have been weakened by the September 2010 quake. Effects of the Christchurch earthquake were felt some 200 kilometers (125 miles) away, along the South Islands west coast. A 30 million-tonne (33 million-ton) chunk of ice broke off from the Tasman Glacier, and slid into Tasman Lake. In fact, officials had expected ice would break off the glacier, although they expected the event to result from heavy rainfall caused by La Nia.