2010 Darfield earthquake

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2010 Darfield earthquake
2010 Darfield earthquake (New Zealand)
Bullseye1.svg
Coordinates 43 ° 33 ′ 0 ″  S , 172 ° 10 ′ 12 ″  O Coordinates: 43 ° 33 ′ 0 ″  S , 172 ° 10 ′ 12 ″  O
date September 4, 2010
Time 4:35 a.m. local time
intensity 9  on the MM scale
Magnitude 7.1  M W
depth 10 km
epicenter Darfield
(40 km west of Christchurch )
country New Zealand
Affected places

Christchurch

Tsunami No
Injured 2
damage an estimated NZ $ 5 to 6 billion 


Road on the Avon River in Christchurch

The 2010 Darfield earthquake , also known as the 2010 Christchurch earthquake , was 7.1 M W and caused damage in the city of Christchurch , making it the most momentous earthquake in New Zealand since the Hawke's Bay earthquake in 1931, when the city of Napier was almost completely destroyed. With two seriously injured people in the city of Christchurch , the quake was relatively mild. In terms of damage to buildings and infrastructure, however, the destruction was considerable. With an estimated 5 to 6 billion NZD (approx. 2.8 to 3.5 billion euros), the quake of September 4th was considered the most expensive earthquake in New Zealand's history to date.

Tectonic background

Buildings in Christchurch

The earthquake occurred as a result of leaf displacement within the crust of the Pacific plate near the eastern foothills of the Southern Alps , on the western edge of the Canterbury Plains .

The earthquake center was about 40 km west of Christchurch near the city of Darfield and thus 80-90 km south and east of the actual course of the border between the Australian and Pacific plates through the island (along the Alpine Fault and the Hope Fault ). The earthquake, although not directly at the plate boundary, reflects the right-hand movement on one of the numerous regional faults associated with the general movement of these plates and arguably related to the general southern expansion of the Marlborough fault system in recent years geological time must be seen.

The Darfield -Erdbeben of 4 September occurred about 50 km from the point at which on March 9, 1929 an earthquake measuring 7.1 M S at Arthur's Pass had occurred (see Arthur's Pass -Erdbeben 1929 ) .

The quake

Historic Church of St John in Hororata

The main earthquake, which occurred without warning on the morning of September 4, 2010 around 4:35 am, was perceived by people as an extremely strong and long, rolling and never-ending tremor. It occurred in a fold that had not been active for at least 16,000 years.

South of Darfield , the quake created a fault in an easterly direction, directly to Christchurch , 24 km long, with a lateral offset of over three meters. In Christchurch itself, according to estimates by rescue workers, more than 500 buildings were badly damaged or brought down.

In the small town of Hororata , 15 km southwest of Darfield , the historic church of St John was badly damaged. In addition to the damage in Christchurch, it became a symbol of the destruction caused by the earthquake.

Over 270 aftershocks of magnitude 3 and above were registered in the five days following the main quake. 150 of them were felt by the residents of the area. Of these, 60 were in the range of earthquake strengths 4 to 4.9 and 10 aftershocks had strengths of 5 to 5.5 M W , measured on the moment-magnitude scale . Geologists from GNS Science warned of further aftershocks, which under certain circumstances could also reach strengths of over 6. The most momentous aftershock with a magnitude of 6.3 M W occurred on February 22, 2011 and, despite the lower energy released, caused considerably more damage than the main earthquake.

See also

Web links

Commons : Darfield Earthquake 2010  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Quake blow to economic prospects . Otago Daily Times , February 24, 2011, accessed February 24, 2011 .
  2. ^ M 7.8, Hawke's Bay, February 3, 1931 . GeoNet - GNS Science , accessed April 7, 2013 .
  3. ↑ Magnitude 7.0 - SOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND 2010 September 03 16:35:46 UTC Summary . United States Geological Survey , September 3, 2010, archived from the original on October 14, 2012 ; accessed on January 20, 2016 (English, original website no longer available).
  4. ↑ Mayor: Quake hit city 'like an iceberg' . New Zealand Herald , September 4, 2010, accessed April 5, 2018 .
  5. ↑ a b Fault lay quiet for at least 16,000 years . New Zealand Herald , September 7, 2010, accessed September 7, 2010 .
  6. ↑ 2010 Darfield (Canterbury) Earthquake . GNS Science , accessed April 5, 2018 .
  7. ↑ New Zealand assesses quake damage . BBC News - Asia-Pacific , September 5, 2010, accessed September 5, 2010 .
  8. ↑ Historic church devastated by quake . TVNZ News , September 8, 2010, accessed September 8, 2010 .
  9. ↑ 270 after hocks and counting ... . TVNZ News , September 8, 2010, archived from the original on February 1, 2011 ; accessed on January 23, 2016 (English, original website no longer available).
  10. ^ M 6.3, Christchurch, February 22, 2011 . GeoNet - GNS Science , accessed April 7, 2013 .