Christchurch earthquake

By Tyse and Jaezarn

 When did this disaster happen?

1. On the 22 February 2011, at 12:51pm Christchurch was hit by a

massive earthquake 6.3 earthquake. The earthquake was centred 10km
south ,p;.meast of the city at a depth of 5km.
185 people died and 164 people were seriously injured and there was major
damage to buildings and people.
 What happened?
The earthquake caused lots of damage across Christchurch, killing 185 people
in the worlds fifth-deadliest disaster.
Christchurch Fault Lines
 Information about the earthquake
The earthquake was caused by the rupture of a 15-kilometre-long fault along the
southern edge of the city, from Cashmere to the Avon–Heathcote estuary. The
fault slopes southward under the Port Hills and did not break the surface –
scientists used measurements to determine its location and movement.

It has taken many years to clean up the debris. The city continues to be rebuilt.
We then learned about liquefaction from seeing images on tv.
Liquefaction occurs when soil loses strength and stiffness due to earthquake
shaking. Loose, sandy soils behave like a liquid as water is forced up to the
surface.
Liquefaction affected large areas of Christchurch because many suburbs are
built on soft soils or sand.
 Have there been any other major
earthquakes in New Zealand.
There are some major earthquakes that have struck New Zealand since 1931:
Wairarapa, 1942. These two earthquakes caused damage in Masterton, Wellington,
and other centres.

Hawke’s Bay, 1931

This magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck at 10.48 a.m. on 3 February 1931. It was
New Zealand’s deadliest, destroying Napier and Hastings. In Napier, stone
buildings collapsed and people rushed outside, only to be hit by falling masonry
and roofs. Others were trapped in rubble. Water pipes burst and fires soon raged,
gutting the central district. 256 people died.
Thank you